After having spent a summer in Paris, I became interested in the idea of using maps to mark exploratory patterns. I wanted a record of the places I visited, to see how this place is connected to that place, get an idea of how often I was going to the same places, taking the same routes, seeing the same things, not seeing things I wanted to see, etc., all in the name of gaining a better understanding of the city, my experience in it, and making the most of my time there.

The art-map piece above is an attempt to capture those ideas in the form of something more aesthetically appealing and personal than a street map. The acrylic painting was done for my brother as he moved to Brooklyn to start his career in architecture. As he marks it up with dots representing his travels in the city and Brooklyn, the piece evolves towards its final form: a pictorial representation of his time in New York.

Of particular interest to me are questions like: will having access to an overall view of where time is spent have any impact on future explorations? Will it prompt self-evaluations of any kind, to the effect of Am I doing what I want to be doing, going where I want to be going, and why haven't I explored that area yet?