(first draft above, second below)
the map of heartbreaks is a simple map in a spiral shape – in fact, it’s based on an actual floor plan of a real institution that was only slightly warped to fit the shape. the map is a self-portrait because of the nature of the location; the institution is one where i spent a significant amount of time and emotional energy, and this projection of it (especially when the sign system is introduced) is unique to my experience.
of the two drafts above, the first one includes the beginnings of my sign system, and the second is the accurate representation of the surface i’ll be using in the final project, though the sign system has not yet been implemented. for simplicity’s sake, i’ll define both of those things:
– my surface is a set of adjusted concentric circles divided into sections (in this case, rooms such as classrooms and offices). there is a hole in it where one of the sections was removed from the surface. (this was intentional.)
– my sign system will be a series of red dots. in the first image of my second draft (the third image in this post), there is a rough drawing that’s been circled in orange; this is the easiest way for me to explain how the sign system will fit into the piece! on the whole, it will look almost like a pointillist piece, the entire surface covered in different size dots in muted colors. what differentiates the sign system from the rest of the color on the surface is the saturation of the sign system’s dots – they will be a bright red color in comparison to the low-opacity neutrals of the rest. all i’m going to share about the sign system right now is that each of those differently-saturated dots will represent an event. whether i will further define what the event is depends on how the map comes out looking as i work.
(my map lacks a connection system by design. the events represented by the sign system are not meant to be viewed in a particular order, and in fact the spiral, ongoing, potentially repeating nature of the surface is part of the design as well.)
my inspiration for the project comes mostly from the mapmaker we studied who created hundreds of maps while imprisoned.
INSPIRATION BOARD, style & color, respectively:
