Past is Prologue: A Scenographic Cartography of 'The Tempest'

Abstract

At the intersection of architectural representation and dramaturgy lies a rich web of practitioners with an interest in experimental mapping. From the second half of the 20th century, there have emerged a variety of such alternative mapping movements which critique the limitations of distancedominated Western cartography, instead emphasising more intangible experience-based facets of landscape. Past is Prologue: A Scenographic Cartography of ‘The Tempest’ unfolds over five acts. It draws on deep mapping—and other experimental mapping by Western cartographers—to map William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The research is also positioned in relation to maps made by indigenous cartographers in the Pacific region. The role of the cartographer is taken to be analogous to that of the dramaturg, and mapping is used as a creative design practice and a dramaturgical tool. Layering and its permutations—overlaying, superimposition, reflection—are employed as the main productive operations. By using the First Folio as fictional ‘site’ and remaining speculative, the project probes at the fantastical quality of islands in the Western colonial imagination. This project consists of a series of four maps, developed through a hybrid process of architectural and theatrical making. The maps employ narrative time as a key dimension of their respective mapping fields. Each iteration shifts the spatiotemporal narrative focus from the play’s original protagonist, the magician Prospero, to the indentured indigenous spirit Ariel. This research also extends into theatrical precedents, and delves into the idea of projection as inhabited drawing. The titular ‘Scenographic Cartography’ is a multimedia mapping installation wherein the cartographer, performing as Ariel, enters and assembles her narrative. Finishing with an open-ended provocation, this research reflects on maps as performing, dynamic entities. It does not seek a resolved architectural conclusion but, rather, revels in its interdisciplinary discoveries.