Non-place cartography. Emotional understandings of the territory

Abstract

Cartographies, understood as a graphic interpretation of the territory, are one of the main tools to comprehend places and one of the starting points in the architectural project. Traditionally an element that gathered literal data as well as subjective data, since the late of the 20th century a split appeared between maps that brought out great amounts of geographic information, and the landscape depictions with a much more abstract interpretation. In contrast to raw cartography, both art and architecture have looked for creative processes that could recover the worths that can be drawn from the territory, to produce more substantial and more profound speeches. These displays were full of subjectivity and elements that talked about personal aspects of the artists and architects, which were relevant in their landscape reading. This article shows a journey through diverse ways of understanding and pictures the territory, where the works and projects are a reflection of the ability to read a place in different ways, depending on the perception, the culture, or even the personal experiences.