Using critiques of humanism and the Vitruvian Man, Cartographies and (Human) Bodies problematizes the generic idea of the human body that constitutes a common personhood and, in turn, marginalizes and invalidates many experiences of being in the world. The assignment generates an understanding of bodies as subject to constructs of socio-political power structures, networks, and (biopolitical) structures that administer all aspects of (human) life. It starts from our bodies (bodies we know) and gradually expands to understanding bodies as networked forces.

Working with counter-mapping as a practice, we are not only documenting but also creating and speculating on relations between things. Counter-mapping is a practice of discussing and generating connections between the physical, virtual, or imaginary. We use maps not only to make invisible relations and processes more tangible but also to document and generate knowledge. As the map takes shape, so do new relations and understandings. This way, the counter-mapping practice is a tool to reimagine bodies and worlds.

Students work in their groups for 2 to 3 weeks, during which they meet teachers for tutorials. The time period of this semi-self-directed work could change with some adjustments if needed.

• MAP + LEGEND
  • The counter-map is open in format and medium. It could be made digitally or physically. Students use skills and media they are familiar with or ones with which they choose to experiment. The final counter-map is archived on Hotglue (or an equivalent Whiteboard platform such as Miro).
  • The map includes a free-form legend in line with the grammar of the map itself. The legend contextualizes and frames the map, provides necessary instructions, or gives additional information. It should include the following parts: title, creation date, and authors’ names, an introduction (200 words) that summarizes the ideas behind the map as well as methods and theoretical references, a list of sources, and a guideline or instruction (optional) to help the audience better navigate the map.

Further below there are assignments to get started with mapping, which students can further develop into tutorials:

• A. FORMING GROUPS (individual, 45 minutes)
  • All students put down their name and topic of choice on a collective etherpad. Feel free to have written conversations. Then, in real-time, students and teachers create matches based on the topics of choice and written discussions on the pad. On this basis, teachers will divide students into groups of two or three.
    * Google Docs and other platforms could also be used even though the anonymity of etherpads is a plus here.

• B. GETTING STARTED WITH MAPPING
  • Following a seminar and class discussion on mapping and mapping the body (including examples such as world maps by Al Istakhri and This Is Not an Atlas project maps, among others), students are asked to reflect on these questions:
    • What does it mean to live in a body?
    • How do we understand our sense of belonging to this body?
    • What are our references to a “human” body? What images come to mind?
    • Do we impose our logic of the “human” body on bodies that are not human?
    • How can our cultural production, like artistic mapping, counter-mapping, and collaborative cartographies, serve to address the rules that govern our bodies?
    • Can our designs help transform thinking patterns into other ways of being within and with our bodies?
    • Which maps did you find striking? And why?
    • How do the maps shape our ideas of life, bodies, and the world?

• C1. MAP YOUR OWN BODY (individual, 45 minutes)
  • Start mapping your own body individually. This exercise is free-form, students can use any format, and it is free for interpretation by each student. It can be done using digital or analog tools (or both). Do this specifically from the perspective of your topic of interest in the context of the course. Think about how you would imagine mapping your own body; you can use words, images, photographs, voice recordings, video, or any other textual, visual, or audio material to do this.
  • To help you start, you can think about some of these prompts that relate to your chosen topic:
    • Your physical features and your desires, emotions, senses, and feelings;
    • Your experiences, memories, and decisions, in the past or today;
    • Your encounter with other bodies, friends, family, or people you know;
    • How you grew up: the ideas, systems of thought, and beliefs;
    • Think about the stigmas that might make you feel pressured;
    • Think about your ancestors. Think about where your body comes from;
    • Think about how your body might have been changing;
    • Think about how the readings, video lectures, podcasts, and other thoughts you have changed;
    • Think about how your body extends beyond itself.

• C2. COMBINE MAPS (group, 75 minutes, directly follows C1)
  • Come together with your group mate(s). Share your body maps and make one map out of individual maps in your group. Feel free to leave your names in or out of this map when you upload it onto Hotglue.
  • Identify the common points or elements between your two/three body maps; there will probably be quite a few. Also, identify the points that are not in common; there will be quite some points. These divergent points and differences will help make your combined map more expansive.
  • In this combined map, try to expand the issues you explored in your individual body map into a broader discussion on the topic of your project.

• C3. MAKE A LEGEND FOR THE MAP (group, 30 minutes, directly follows C2)
  • Make a legend for your combined map, using visual grammar and formatting that make sense for the map you have created. Make sure to include a title and a short introduction (200 words).

• Allegorical Maps of Love, Courtship, and Matrimony, The Public Domain Review
  https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/allegorical-maps-of-love-courtship-and-matrimony
• Coburn, Tyler, Ergonomic Futures, Eflux Journal, issue 98, 2019
  https://www.e-flux.com/journal/98/255178/ergonomic-futures/
• The Funambulist, Politics of Space and Bodies, issue 18, Cartography & Power
  https://thefunambulist.net/magazine/cartography-power
• The Funambulist, Politics of Spaces and Bodies, issue 7, Health Struggles
  https://thefunambulist.net/magazine/07-health-struggles
• Halder, Severin en Boris Michel. This Is Not an Atlas: A Global Collection of Counter-Cartographies (2018): 12-21.
• Rizvi, Uzma Z. “Decolonization as Care.” Slow reader: A Resource for Design Thinking and Practice (2016): 85-95.

This assignment was developed by Rosa Pons-Cerdà and Golnar Abbasi for second-year Bachelor students studying in the Powerplay program within the Social Practices department at Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam.

Prior Knowledge and Preparation
Basic familiarity with posthumanist, decolonial, and feminist discourse is suggested as they constitute the theoretical basis for the course work.

Accessibility:
Assistance for Learners
This assignment can be done in-person or online.

Online tools such as Hotglue, Zoom, Teams, and others provide more accessibility for certain groups of often marginalized students such as disabled and differently-abled students, introverted and shy students, and students with social anxiety.

Also, since this assignment requires a level of vulnerability, teachers and students need to be mindful of what they feel comfortable with and create a space where others can be open safely.

Additional Tools
Hotglue is the main platform for archiving the works in this assignment (www.hotglue.me). Etherpads are also used in parts of the assignments (e.g., http://pad.riseup.net/). However, for the development of the assignment itself, the course is open to media and tools students choose to work with, based on students’ disciplinary training or transdisciplinary encounters in the class/workshop. Previously, students have worked with 3D, augmented reality, video and animation tools, game design, sound recording, and drawing tools (online and physical).

Previously, the course was conducted online via Teams, Zoom, and in-person.