Abstract

“Mapping is the shared terrain in which the architectural-filmic bond resides” (Bruno 2002, 71)

Both mapping and non-fiction filmmaking offer subjective translations of reality and strategies to relate to and represent space, sharing analogous methods of production that allow for a useful application of the spatial language of mapmaking to filmmaking. The research posits that immersing the filmmaking process within the language of mapmaking can act as a bridge into the spatial practices of the gallery environment, into curatorial practice and exhibition design. This process is defined here as ‘Filmmapping’ and is intended to offer an approach (i) for curators working with artist filmmakers whose work is anchored in concepts of landscape or sense of place; (ii) for filmmakers to consider how spatial themes explored within their work might be translated into the exhibition space (a reciprocal process that also considers how the space and locational context of a gallery may help shape the production of a work), and (iii) for exhibition architects working in collaboration with either one or both of the former.

Questions:
1. What is Filmmapping and from what context does it emerge?
2. How can Filmmapping be employed by filmmakers, curators, and exhibition architects?

Methodology:
The research adopts an iterative methodology in which a series of filmmaking and curatorial projects are reflected upon, each project helping to inform the intent of the next.