Mapping as Joint Spatial Display

Abstract

At the interface between sociology of space, architecture, urban studies and geography, the conference aims to raise an interdisciplinary methodological discourse about the instruments of mapping for the research on space.

Within the research project « Re-Figuration of Spaces » (TU Berlin) we investigate the changes in spatial arrangements that have occurred since the 1960’s in the course of the emergence and proliferation of digital technologies and transnational political, cultural and economic assemblages. To determine the characteristics of this re-figuration of space, our investigation focuses on subjective spatial experience and knowledge, on communicative practices, and on spatial connections in terms of circulation and order. Therefore, we are facing a methodological challenge: how to adequately analyze the constitution of spaces if not by employing spatial tools like drawing? Which instruments can help to conduct the integration of heterogeneous data? At this conference, we aim at confronting two specific and so far disconnected methodological discourses on data integration: the sociological discourse on joint displays and the discussion about mapping from the spatial sciences.

Joint displays have recently emerged in mix-method approaches, integrating qualitative and quantitative research in the phase of data analysis (Kuckartz, 2017). The current state of the debate distinguishes different integration strategies: results-based, data-based and sequence-oriented integration strategies. Besides it raises the instrumental issue of the common sighting of qualitative and quantitative data, introducing the concept of « joint display » as the possibility of joint presentation of heterogeneous data.

The discussion about mapping is more diffuse. Under mapping we subsume analyzing and synthesizing drawings, such as classical urban design graphic analysis (graphic analysis of morphology, typology, infrastructure and function) (Curdes, 1993), urban design drawings projecting future transformations (Corner, 1998) as well as drawings as a synthesis performance, which can grasp physical-material and social spatial phenomena in their interactions. Mappings can take diverse forms of representation like sketches, building plans, city maps, world maps or mental maps (Tufte, 1990, 1997; Neurath, 1991). The practice of mappings constitutes the attempt to combine visually different kinds of data and media (drawings, diagrams, photography, statistical data) into one interface. Although architects and urban planners experiment a lot in this field as part of their design practice (for example the urban design and research work of OMA / AMO), there are very few methodology reflecting essays on the subject (Corner, 1999; Allen, 1999).

By confronting both discourses and practices we are seeking for inspiration in order to innovate visual technics for spatial research and frame them within the sociological methodological discourse. What can we learn from this confrontation? It raises several problematics/themes:

– the instrumental integration of textual, visual and numeral data into one single interface. How

can it be technically executed?

– the visual character of the integrations. What does it mean on an epistemological level to visualize

the integration? Does the visualization need a description or can it stand for itself?

– the integration of qualitative and qualitative data. How to build a coherent visualization?

– the integration of different scales: how to integrate multi-level analysis

 

Programme

Thursday 29.11.2018 at the Haus der Kulturen und der Welt (HKW)

9:00 Opening of the conference with welcome address

09:30-12:30 Hands-on Workshop Part 1

12:30-14:00 Lunch break

14:00-17:00 Hands-on Workshop Part 2

Workshop moderator: Jörg Stollmann, Philipp Misselwitz together with Joost Grooten

The hands-on workshop aims to create a mapping of the HKW itself. In addition to previous studies on the HKW (building, visitor research, event database, etc.), new data (spatial knowledge, spatial experience) should be collected in advance during a seminar at the Institute of Architecture of the Technical University.

The workshop will focus on the relationship between the HKW and the society and on its geographical, urban, social and cultural anchoring in the city. The following questions will be examined: how international and open is this cultural institution, from the point of view of its art production, but also of its reception? In other words, with whom does the HKW work and which audience does its programme reach? Which different rooms are crossed in HKW context? Which phenomena of polycontextualization can be observed?

 

The workshop pursues several goals:

– it should enable the iterative design process of mappings to be experienced and understood by an interdisciplinary audience. Like a breakdown of every decision, every turn that leads to the development of mappings.

– it should serve as an intermediate presentation for the students

– it should provide an opportunity to reveal the “blind spots” of interdisciplinary dialogue between architects/urban planners and sociologists on the one hand, but also between science and practice on the other.

– it should be a practical example and a common experience for the second day of the workshop at the Sfb.

Target group: Students, Sfb members, conference speakers.

 

Change to the small auditorium:

18:30 Short introduction of the Sfb series in the HKW (with B. Scherer, M. Löw, S. Bürkle)

19:00 (Public) Keynote Speech

Keynote: Joost Grootens (Architecture, Grafic-Design)

Dinner with the referents in the restaurant of the HKW

 

Friday 30.11.2018 at Sonderforschungsbereich / BH-N Gebäude

9:00 Welcome and introduction to the day

Panel 1 Scientific discourse about integration of heterogenous data and visualisation

9:30-10:15 Speaker 1: Udo Kuckartz (Sociology)

10:15-11:00 Speaker 2: Denis Eckert (Geography)

Coffee break 11:00-11:30

Panel 2 Urban Mapping: an architectonic / urban design praxis about the integration of heterogenous data

11:30-12:15 Speaker 3: n.n

12:15-13:00 Speaker 4: Antje Lehn (Architecture)

Lunch break 13:00-14:30

Panel 3 Interdisciplinary Roundtable

14:30-16:30 Invitation of the research project « Extended Urbanisation » (sociology/architecture)

from the ETH-Zürich with Milica Topalovic (Architecture)

Together with Philippe Rekacewicz (Cartographer Le Monde Diplomatique)

Coffee break 16:00-16:30

Final Discussion 16:30-17:30