Mapping the Invisible: Self Portrait — A Map of Personal Location

My self-portrait is a representation of the division between the places in which I have experienced increased growth, without taking into account the amount of time spent living at each location, as time or longevity is irrelevant in regards to influence of place. The two locations (Southern New Jersey and New York City) have completely different aesthetics: one is consumed by green foliage and marshland, the other is made entirely out of concrete and lights. The influence each place has had on my interests and personality has been incredibly different and frequently contradictory. This is the reason each location is represented as separate limbs,  both being displayed on an arm and a leg. The difference between the two is clear when analyzing the map, and the significance of each site located on the outer body parts indicates this division, one that pulls the self in different directions. The head is filled with imagery of both locations as a representation of the combined (yet still separated) influence and the slight chaos that is felt because of it. The connecting system is the fruit strewn on the street which is an indicator of the constant travel between the two places and a representation of the fact that despite their differences, the two locations are connected on both a personal and geographical level. This connection system is a representation of the incorporation of the more natural vision of S. Jersey slabbed across a New York City Street. The middle of the body is left blank in an attempt to display the fact that these two places have not entirely consumed the individual and there is room for growth. 

Ideas that were discussed in the class readings, such as the fact that maps give us a type of reality that allows for a deeper understanding of specific individualistic ideals deeply influenced my own self-portrait. The idea that maps give us a sense of identity is an important aspect that I wanted to portray, especially because of the quote “mapped images have become essential to our sense of the world, to our place within it, to much of our identity” and “even our sense of coming from a particular place. . . to our sense of who we are, of what we’re doing, of where we’re going”. The aspect of a place’s importance in relation to an individual is something I wanted to accurately show through this map. In addition, this work is categorized as a map due to the fact that it was made the same way many other maps are made; works that are used for people to “discover their minds and to connect themselves”. This self-portrait links two geographic locations in addition to providing a more individualistic and personal example of specific influence, which automatically gives it authority over the various territories it discusses in relation to the individual. My map proposes that the two locations are directly related through myself, the individual, due to their simultaneous influence and geographic proximity. It shows this relation as well as the chaos that ensues because of the vastly different aesthetic properties and the intensity in which each the two places display through their various forms of expression.

Artist Reference-

  Jeannie Thib- Georaphia

The separation of the gloves while still showing a consistent terrain was an important influence in my self-portrait, as the separation between place through the body, or body-like objects is something I attempted to convey in my own work. 

Monica De Miranda-In the back of our hands

The aspect of a map being represented on a hand (or a body part) was an influential piece to my own self portrait because it shows a direct relation of a geographic location to the human body, through the eyes of the individual artist. Screen shot 2015-02-17 at 12.50.16 PM Screen shot 2015-02-17 at 12.55.41 PM Screen shot 2015-02-17 at 12.56.09 PM Screen shot 2015-02-17 at 12.57.12 PM Screen shot 2015-02-17 at 12.56.57 PM Screen shot 2015-02-17 at 12.59.05 PM   

Author: Caroline Harrison