Core concept behind the project

The International Transentient Cartographicacy Project, as the name implies, is international in scope yet driven by a more remote interest in exploring and connecting with personal origins--both known and unknown.

The project consisted of 3 parts which were accomplished over the course of nine months: 1. the creation of a web-based, conceptual map of Mexico City using information gathered from the personal experiences of friends, family and acquaintances 2. travel to and experience Mexico City using the map as our technical and spiritual guide and 3. the creation of public installations using documentation of the experiences and which engaged in a cultural conversation with the city of Dublin, Ireland.

The driving purpose of our project was to explore aspects of our personal heritages (Mexican and Irish respectively) using the capitals of Mexico and Ireland as the sites of our experiences. With our project we intended to make both conceptual and actual connections between the two cities as a way of bridging and solidifying our personal connection with each other and ultimately as an example for bridging cultural boundaries in general.

Challenging the authority of traditional maps, which demarcate geographical boundaries based on pre-determined systems of coordinates or data, the International Transentient Cartographicacy Project ultimately mapped out a conceptual space according to a compilation of non-categorical and subjective information—memories and experiences which were solicited and gathered from friends, family, acquaintances and colleagues who had previously lived in or travelled to Mexico City. Like dream logic and imagery, it illustrated (and ultimately animated) a space that exists somewhere between the empirical world and some sort of nebulous, collective memory.

Rather than approaching Mexico City, one of the largest and most dynamic cities in the world, as complete strangers, we chose to prepare ourselves by taking on the emotional ties and a list of memories associated with it through the previous experiences of our friends, family and colleagues. The map guided us in terms of objectified "points of interest," and helped us to discover a city from a totally unique and personalized point of view. Memories, personal impressions, experiences, feelings, thoughts and emotions became our points of interest and the "landmarks" which guided us through the space of the city.

Read our full project description

How the project was realized

Following the core concept, this project's ultimate goal was to use the web to re-map the world by connecting experiences across a spatially defined network of discussions and open forums. This collection of information is reinforced through the initiation of an Augemented Social Network, through built identity and trust in the forums through user profiles and by connecting users to each other, connecting users to their shared experiences and connecting shared experiences to one another. Users are able to scan the discussions about places across the globe, and read and share their experiences. Depending on the density of information shared in any area, nodes of "established" territory on the globe have been created to host subnetworks of shared experiences. The boundaries of these nodes may flow across known borders, across countries and continents, despite geopolitical boundaries. In effect, these nodes establish new "countries" based on art, culture and social climates, like San Francisco/Mexico City-based performance artist Guillermo Gomez-Peña's notion of Arte America, and reinforces them through shared experiences. Each node potentially breeds new nodes and hosts a microcosm of nodes. New nodes can appear in places where information about the world did not previously exist.

The map appearing on this site uses a PHP and MySQL-based Open Source content management system called ActionApps, developed by the Associaton for Progressive Communications and a concept for organizing messages spatially called phpMyBoard.

The collaborators

Gilbert Guerrero, technical lead
Gilbert has been a web developer and architect for over 6 years. He has agency experience as an information architect with R/GA Interactive in New York. He also manages several websites for non-profits, including the San Francisco Cinematheque.
More about Gilbert

Kathleen Quillian, editorial lead
Kathleen Quillian received her MFA in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2003. She is currently the Communications Associate for Leonardo/The International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology, The Gallery Director for Artists' Television Access and Managing Editor of the ATA webzine.
More about Kathleen

How to contact us

Gilbert Guerrero and Kathleen Quillian
Detritus Projects
http://dprojx.org
itcp@dprojx.org