The Documentary Series

Mexico/ Copenhagen/ Quebec/ Cardiff

2004-2008

The Documentary Series is a project that evolved over a number of years in international locations.

The purpose of the project was to over- write the map with experiences, memories, observations and in turn to challenge a rational representation of place with its emphirical knowledge. The ‘real’ life of the city, which is well known, but rarely articulated collectively.

It was my view at the time of making this work, and remains my view, that lived expereince should be the driver of place making, and yet because experience is ephemeral and hard to articulate it is over written by the agenda of meta-narratives: the economy, politics and various over blown factors that rarely consider what it feels like to be a human: the sun on ones face, a particulalry nice magnolia tree that flowers beautifully for only one week.

People would join this project and walk a predefined route. They would choose a set of prompt questions that invited them to engage with place or record something they felt or remembered. These were written or drawn on post-its and accumilated over the course of the activity.

The images below show the final exhibition of all the maps for the ‘Suitcase’ exhibition in Copenhapen, cutated by Liberty Patterson.