Interdisciplinary Approach: reassessment of the relationship between art and cartography through drawing practice

Brief description of session and activities

The aim of this session is to teach and to learn the role of drawing as a logical/illogical language that can be used in map drawing. In other words, it is an interdisciplinary approach, which questions how fine art drawing opens up the concept of scientific mapmaking collaboratively to find new forms of mapmaking.

Commonly assumed, it is easy to think that mapmaking is divided into two distinct parts: decorative part (art) and scientific part (cartography). However, they can be understood inclusively. Reflecting a need to explore the complex inter-mingling of art and science (as an extensions of my research), this session will led students to think about the advantage of interdisciplinary approach. Furthermore, we will discuss together some methodological questions that can be developed in this session including the art/science dichotomy and the form/concept distinction.

After general ideas of art/science mapmaking discussion, the session will go deeper to my main research subject.

Border Drawing: How Drawing helps observe moving borders It starts with asking a question to students, what is intrinsic definition of border in current age? If borders project historical place in the system of institutional hegemony and have never been existed, how can they be drawn? This further question leads to discuss about representational matter of border and how practical drawing can help this question. More discussions can be made by sharing their own ideas and experiences on borders. At the end of this discussion, there will be time for visual materials prepared to see my own drawings and to look over different artists’ works related to this theme. Then, each of students will have time to do practical drawing on discussed issues.

How will students be involved in the session?

There is discussion and feedback time prepared through out the session to share one’s ideas. There is an actual drawing time for students also.

What will participants take away from the session?

It will be not only a useful time to demonstrate a resource I have developed but also to help student to understand current status on interdisciplinary field and its advantages. Moreover, with the research theme, it widens students’ thought about territorial borders and how it is infused within our daily lives.