The Chambers of Geography. Hypotheses on Places Where Other Places are Simulated
Abstract
The present study dovetails with topics previously discussed in my recent book Geografia e fiction (Tanca, 2020), with a particular focus on the link between geography and simulation. More specifically, I will reflect on places where simulations of the actual world take place. The hypothesis stems from the fascination exerted by simulating machines like magic lanterns, Wunderkammern, peepshows, panoramas, and dioramas, perspective boxes, virtual reality, etc. These ‘geographic chambers’ are all constructed situations producing an illusionistic mise en scène: the space compression occurring inside them enables us to immerse ourselves in places that are geographically very distant from us.
Downloads
References
Arendt, Hannah, The Human Condition, Chicago-London: The University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Atiyeh, Clifford, “Driving in a Fake Swedish Town”, Car and Driver, May 15, 2014, https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15119907/how-automotive-safetytech-is-developed-feature.
Balzer, Richard, Peepshows: A Visual History, New York, Harry N. Abrams, 1998.
Besse, Jean-Marc, Face au monde: atlas, jardins, géoramas, Paris, Desclée de Brouwer, 2003.
Bishop, Claire, Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship, London-New York, Verso, 2012.
Brown, David, “Genuine fakes”, The Tourist Image. Myths and Myth Making in Tourism, Eds. Tom Selwyn, Chichester, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 1996: 33-47.
Comment, Bernard, The Panorama, London, Reaktion Books, 1999.
Cosgrove, Denis, Geography and vision: seeing, imagining and representing the World, London-New York, Tauris, 2008.
Dardel, Eric, L’Homme et la Terre: nature de la réalité géographique, Paris, PUF, 1952.
de Maistre, Xavier, A Journey around My Room and A Nocturnal Expedition around My Room, London, Alma Classics, 2013.
Debord, Guy, Rapport sur la construction des situations et sur les conditions de l’organisation et de l’action de la tendance situationniste internationale, Paris, n.p., 1957.
Dickson, Andrew, “A World Tour of Fake Places That Fool the Eye”, The New York Times, July 12, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/arts/design/gregorsailer-potemkin-villages.html.
Dohm, Katharina – Garnier, Claire – Le Bon, Laurent – Ostende, Florence, Dioramas: Palais de Tokyo, Paris, Flammarion, 2017.
Frémont, Armand, Aimez-vous la géographie?, Paris, Flammarion, 2005.
Garroni, Emilio, Creatività, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2010.
Graham, Stephen, Cities Under Siege: The New Military Urbanism, London-New York, Verso, 2010.
Grau, Oliver, Virtual art: From illusion to immersion, Cambridge (MA)-London, MIT Press, 2003.
Harvey, David, The condition of postmodernity: an inquiry into the origins of cultural change, Oxford, Blackwell, 1989
Mannoni, Laurent - Pesenti Campagnoni, Donata (eds.), Lanterna magica e film dipinto: 400 anni di cinema. Catalogo della Mostra presentata a Parigi nel 2009- 2010 e a Torino nel 2010-2011, Milano, il castoro, 2009.
Marrache-Gouraud, Myriam, “Naissances de l’exotisme, ou comment inventer la place des lointains”, La licorne et le bézoard. Une histoire des cabinets de curiosité, Eds. Dominique Moncond’huy – Myriam Marrache-Gouraud, Paris, Gourcuff Gradenigo, 2013: 159-167.
Mauriès, Patrick, Cabinets de curiosités, Paris, Gallimard, 2002.
Oetermann Stephan, The Panorama: History of a Mass Medium, New York, Zone Books, 1997.
Orain, Olivier, De plain-pied dans le monde: écriture et réalisme dans la géographie française au XXe siècle, Paris, l’Harmattan, 2009.
Sohier, Estelle – Gillet, Alexandre – Staszak, Jean-François (eds.), Simulations du monde. Des panoramas à la réalité virtuelle, Genève, MétisPresses, 2019.
Sun&Sea (Marina), Lapelyte, Lina – Grainyte, Vaiva – Barzdziukaite Rugile, 58th International Art Exhibition, 11 May-24 November 2019.
Tanca, Marcello, Geografia e fiction. Opera film canzone fumetto, Milano, Franco Angeli, 2020.
Tanca, Marcello, “Compasso, fiore, fucile. La parabola della geografia tra Sette e Ottocento”, Odeporica e colonizzazione tedesca in Africa / Reiseberichte und deutsche Kolonisation in Afrika, Eds. Mauro Pala – Valentina Serra, Roma, Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici, 2021: 111-129.
Copyright Notice
You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work, and to adapt the work. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
