L’artiste, la carte et le territoire : détourner et retourner les représentations

Abstract

This paper explores new types of artistic interventions developed in relation with urban space or city planning activities. Here, artists do not only aim to create artwork but also to contribute to work on on-going or future territorial transformations, along with urban professionals. In the four cases studied, cartography appears as one of the means used by artists to work: testing the validity of planning documents in situ; analysing an urban space by mapping its ties with its environment; training inhabitants to the reading and the making of maps; implementing a digital map. We will analyse each example separately to question the way artists make use of maps. These artistic interventions will be studied in view of the controversies on cartography. Cartography is considered here as a social construction based on conventions more or less negotiated. Maps are conventional tools of representation and collaboration for urban professionals, their reactions show if and how the use made of maps by artists renew controversies on cartography.

Keywords

• artist
• map
• urban project
• participative cartography