video cartography
Genuine vital integrity does not consist in satisfaction, in attainment, in arrival. As Cervantes said long since, “The road is always better than the inn.” The very name is a disturbing one; this time calls itself “modern,” that is to say, final, definitive, in whose presence all the rest is mere preterite, humble preparation and aspiration towards this present. That faith in modern culture was a gloomy one. It meant that to-morrow was to be in all essentials similar to to-day, that progress consisted merely in advancing, for all time to be, along a road identical to the one already under our feet. Such a road is rather a kind of elastic prison which stretches on without ever setting us free.
Nowadays we no longer know what is going to happen to-morrow in our world, and this causes us a secret joy; because that very impossibility of foresight, that horizon ever open to all contingencies, constitute authentic life, the true fullness of our existence.
– José Ortega y Gasset, The Revolt of the Masses
video cartography: Durham, NC from Phillip Barron on Vimeo.
6 minutes and 20 seconds of point-of-view film and video of downtown Durham, North Carolina. The video is composed of scenes from 1942, 1947, 2007, and 2008. Through the repeated capturing (on film and in byte) of locations through time, we are able to navigate a changing landscape in urban Durham.
We live in a visual culture. From advertising to gallery art to Hollywood films to documentary photography, the image has never been more powerful throughout human history than it is today. With the advent of digital mapping and point-of-view digital image products (e.g. Google Maps Streetview), the line between cartography and video is being blurred.
This video is part of the North Carolina Counter Cartographies Convergence, September — October 2008, and was made possible with a grant from the Triangle Community Foundation.
ATT bridge planning meeting, Wednesday Sept 17
A few more meetings, and we should see a bridge.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), September 17, the City of Durham’s Department of Public Works is hosting a drop-in style information meeting on the bicycle and pedestrian bridge that will one day span I-40. Two bridge designs made the penultimate cut, with one emerging the victor. The City wants to explain in this meeting why it’s leaning toward the low-profile arch over the cable-stayed design.
 currently favored design |
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Since no one design ever pleases everyone, expect to hear complaints from some about one or the other. Personally, I think the low-profile arch is beautiful for its simplicity. Reminds me of the Bow Bridge in (NYC’s) Central Park.
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All in all, the design phase is moving along well and given that the low profile arch is the less expensive of the two options, hopefully procuring the (already earmarked) funding from the various agencies involved (city, state, and federal) will progress without a hitch.
But who knows, maybe NC DOT will step in, take over, and say we need a 6 lane bike highway.
Design photos snagged from Bull City Rising, Bow Bridge photos from the Library of Congress.
radical mapping at Golden Belt, this (the Third) Friday
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Maps as art?
Opening Friday, September 19th, 6-9pm, the Triangle Cartography Convergence will occupy three rooms at Golden Belt. The east Durham exhibits are part of a larger event with exhibits at the UNC Global Education Center as well as the Friedl building at Duke.
The Triangle Cartography Convergence is a two-month experiment in radical cartography. On display will be maps that challenge you to think in new ways about the world we live in. For a reminder of what “radical/counter cartography” might mean, here’s the Independent’s article on this group and other experimental map-makers in the Triangle area: What Google Earth Doesn’t Show You.
At least two of the maps/installations will have bicycling-related themes, and as part of the Golden Belt’s LEED certification, there are bike racks galore around its campus.
If you don’t yet know where Golden Belt is, you can find directions here.
North Carolina Community Cartographies Convergence — September/October 2008
All events free and open to allTwo months of events exploring community cartography, radical map-making, spatial activism and their possibilities for the Triangle and larger NC, accompanied by a multi-site collaborative exhibition, and culminating in the convergence itself, a day of workshops, networking and collaboration.
Submit maps and artwork for exhibition, workshop proposals, and event ideas for the second NC Community Cartographies Convergence and exhibit, to be held September - October 2008. Please join us to plan and gather submissions on Sept. 6. Details below…
Events will run September through mid-October. Saturday, September 6 is an open gathering to plan and hang the exhibition, and close Saturday October 18 with the day-long convergence. Proposals for events between those two dates are encouraged (as are autonomously organized events!). Events already planned or in the works include:
SEPTEMBER 13: Urban Farm Tour in Chapel Hill and Carrboro
When you think agriculture, food, sustenance, do you think of huge stretches of rural farm-land? Did you know there are dozens of great places within town limits that practice sustainable farming and agriculture practices, right in our own backyard?! Join us in efforts to make these practices visible and educate folks about the immense possibilities for becoming healthier and more sustainable. For more information: http://carrborogreenspace.org/SEPTEMBER 13: DURHAM - FACE UP PROJECT BUS/BIKE MURAL TOUR
Travel together along the Face Up mural trail from CDS to Dowtown to Southwest Central Durham to see more than 14 murals that make up the Face Up: Telling Stories of Community Life project series. Experience the amazing images and quotes from legendary Durhamite Pauli Murray and NEW NEW NEW the 7 mural series of Durham Community Portraits that will be installed at 1820 James Street. A collective mapping and active tracing of Durham’s community life.
The Bike Mural tour was a success drawing 40+ participants. Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies for organizing a great ride.
SEPTEMBER 19: DURHAM
Mapping Art Opening and Latino/a Studies Reception at Friedl Building Gallery at Duke University (5:00pm-6:30pm) …and later same day…
Opening Reception for Mapping Exhibits and 3rd Friday at Golden Belt (7:00pm-10pm)SEPTEMBER 23, 7pm: CHAPEL HILL
A hugely successful international exhibition and book tour continues as An Atlas of Radical Cartography comes to North Carolina, opening at the Global Education Center, UNC-CH campus. Reception and brief welcoming speeches. For more information: http://www.an-atlas.com/OCTOBER 2: DURHAM (6:30pm-8:00pm)
Epics of Black and Brown: A Public Panel on the Representation, Culture and Experience of African American and Latino/a Migrations, in conjunction with the Jacob Lawrence exhibition, at Golden Belt
Panelists: Harry Harrison (Director, YMICC, Asheville), James H. Johnson (Director, Urban Investment Strategies Center, Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise; William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship), Pedro Lasch (Visual Artist & Duke Professor), and Claudia Milian (Cultural Theorist & Duke Professor).OCTOBER 16: DURHAM, 5:30pm-7:00pm
Talk by Berkeley-based radical cartographer Trevor Paglen at the Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University in conjunction with the Visiting Artists Series of Duke’s Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, and the 2008 Conference ‘Scenes of Secrecy’OCTOBER 17: DURHAM, 7pm-10pm
Evening refreshments at Golden Belt for open studios and mapping exhibitions on Durham’s traditional ‘3rd Friday of the month’ celebration.OCTOBER 18: DURHAM
North Carolina Counter Cartographies Convergence Main Event and closing. All day at the Golden Belts Arts studio building (building 3), east of downtown Durham
Also late afternoon reception in conjunction with the 2008 Conference ‘Scenes of Secrecy: Interdisciplinary Inquiries on Suspicion, Intelligence, and Security’For more information on any of the above, or to send proposals: email countercartographies@unc.edu or visit www.countercartographies.org For any Spanish inquiries or proposals contact / para preguntas o proyectos en español contacte a: Pedro Lasch - plasch@duke.edu
Images courtesy of Golden Belt Arts.
bike parking, Tokyo style
Apex St. bridge coming down, new ATT access ramp going in
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Durham’s tearing down the controversial Apex Street bridge over the American Tobacco Trail, the (existing) pedestrian connection between the St. Theresa neighborhood and Forest Hills.
Beginning September 2, the City is tearing down the bridge, installing a new access ramp, and rerouting ATT traffic for three weeks.
A few years ago, nowhere else in Durham was the difference between which “side of the tracks” you’re on more visually distinct than along the former railroad corridor that divides the St. Theresa neighborhood from Forest Hills. The houses on the east side are no longer fronted with boarded up windows, and the image from the American Tobacco Trail is much improved. The Apex St. bridge, a crumbling bridge that was closed to vehicle traffic over safety, later became the centerpiece of a community debate over access to Forest Hills park. See a clip from Carol Thomson’s documentary project on the American Tobacco Trail, Bridging Rails to Trails (clip embedded below), for more about the story.
If you’re into that kind of thing, you can read Parsons Brinckerhoff’s structural evaluation of the bridge (pdf), indicating some of the reasons that it closed and needs to be renovated or torn down.
Beginning September 2, and lasting for a projected three weeks (so you know it will be longer than that), the City of Durham will be tearing down the Apex St bridge and installing a new ATT access ramp on the east side of the trail. The access ramp on the west side of the trail was installed in 2004 (right? someone else correct me on this).
Bike commuters, listen up — this portion of the American Tobacco Trail will be closed and rerouted by the City for those three weeks.
Durham Detours Portion of American Tobacco Trail for New Ramp Construction
Detour Begins September 2 and Will Last Approximately Three Weeks
Durham, N.C. – The City of Durham’s Department of Public Works is beginning the first step in a new trail connection from the Southside/St. Theresa neighborhood to the American Tobacco Trail.
A new ramp is to be constructed connecting the American Tobacco Trail to Apex Street. The demolition of the Apex Street Bridge is the second component of this project and will take place following completion of the ramp construction.
Due to this planned construction, a detour of the American Tobacco Trail is required between West Enterprise Street and Apex Street and will begin Tuesday, September 2, 2008. The detour will remain in place for approximately three weeks. According to the department, this detour is necessary for the relocation of an existing gas line associated with the Apex Street Bridge demolition.
Users of the American Tobacco Trail are asked to note that the trail will not be passable from West Enterprise Street north to Apex Street during this period and they will be required to use the detour. Signage providing directions to the detour will be posted on the trail.
This closure is the first of two scheduled closures of the American Tobacco Trail in this area. The second closure will be for the actual demolition of the Apex Street Bridge. Details regarding this second closure will be provided at a later date.
For additional information regarding this project, including a map of this scheduled detour, visit the City’s Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/works/project_apex_bridge.cfm or contact Kyle Butler, civil engineer with the City’s Department of Public Works, at (919) 560-4326, extension 245 or via e-mail at kyle.butler@durhamnc.gov.
Download
from Bridging Rails to Trails, Carol Thomson
the bus bike rack rap
I’ve gotten familiar with the bike rack on the front of TTA Triangle Transit buses over the last few years. Having bike racks on the front of all buses is a common sense move that many municipalities have made. In fact, when I travel somewhere and see that their city buses do not have bike racks (for many years, my hometown in SC was this way), I’m taken aback. Why not?
For a city, mounting bike racks on buses is one of the cheapest ways to expand multi-modal transportation options for residents. Bus-mounted bike racks invite people to ride to bus stops from distances greater than they will walk; it just makes bike commuting (and sometimes just taking that first step to start bike commuting) a little easier.
And for the Research Triangle Park — where the suburban landscape aesthetic meets Cold War-era privacy concerns in a sprawling, regional employment hub — Triangle Transit’s bike racks make it feasible to bus to work. Bikes help make busing more reasonable while buses with racks help make biking more reasonable — you might even say they work in tandem.
All local bus systems (Raleigh’s CAT, Chapel Hill Transit, and Durham’s DATA) also have bike racks. And they are of a style that most transit systems use. Easy to use and surprisingly secure (given how quickly you load and lock your bike), the racks allow you to bike even when, for reasons of health, time, etc, you can’t bike all the way.
But when I think back to my first attempt to load my bike on a bus (back on college), I remember it being a little awkward to figure out. I could have used a simple “how-to” before I pulled up and stared at the folded metal, wondering how to secure (at the time) my precious new mountain bike.
Looks like the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) of Louisville, KY had the same idea. Instead of merely demonstrating how easy it is to use (once you know where that release latch is), they’ve produced a video to teach you with style.
Mark Dessauer, Communications Director of Active Living by Design (seen here piloting the “bakfiet”), tells me that (TARC) is one of ALBD’s grantees. To encourage folks to try the bus system, TARC put together this instructional. “The project director (Mamma Jamma aka Nina Walfoort) wrote the lyrics, the rapper is a bus mechanic, and the dancers are bus drivers,” says Dessauer. “It was cheap to make and is a big hit locally.”
Enjoy.
Triangle Transit? DATA? Who’s next?
Bike Emory: students encouraged to bike the campus
In the Autopia of the east coast, another university encourages students to adopt bikes as daily transportation.
Emory University, in suburban Atlanta, is launching Bike Emory — a program offering a full line of new Fuji bikes to students at discounted purchase prices. Unlike Duke and UNC’s bike-share programs, Bike Emory equips students with their own bike. And unlike Ripon College’s Velorution project, Emory students have to buy their own.
The partnership with Fuji, who in turn has developed something it calls Fuji University, bodes well for the future of bicycles in academia. Bicycles have historically been disproportionately represented as valid transportation options on US college campuses (compared to the post-college lifestyle). Now, if universities could find a way to encourage students to adopt life-long cycling habits.
Colleges peddle bikes to car-loving students
Associated Press - August 10, 2008 2:04 PM ET
ATLANTA (AP) - Emory University hopes to make a bicycle the must-have back-to-school accessory this fall.
Emory is selling discounted bicycles to students and faculty, adding bike lanes to campus roads and stocking bikes that can be borrowed for free.
The university in Atlanta is pushing its $250,000 “Bike Emory” initiative, launched a year ago, in hopes of convincing students and faculty that the eco-friendly bikes are a better alternative to gas-guzzling vehicles.
While students still prefer cars, cycling already has a foothold at many colleges, where hefty parking fees, sprawling campuses and limited roads make it tough to travel.
For more about Bike Emory or Fuji University, click here.
David Byrne’s bike racks
Thanks to Adrian for pointing this out
Biking Autopia
In his 1973 essay ”Autopia,” Dutch novelist Cees Nooteboom wrote that Los Angeles ”mixes images of vulgarity and vitality” and ”conveys the feeling that it stretches to all sides around you, but never looks down on you or presses you down, an open world that forms itself as a unity despite its fragmented appearance.” (NYTimes)
Enjoy these photos from a recent trip, with my bike, to Los Angeles. Words to come later.
Durham ComNet needs cyclists
We should get some cyclists in on this…
Durham residents interested in serving as extra eyes for City government now have their chance thanks to new technology designed to help the community prioritize its immediate, street-level needs.
The City of Durham is debuting Computerized Neighborhood Environment Tracking – or ComNet – that enables neighborhoods to use easily operated handheld computers with digital cameras so that street level conditions, such as pot holes, illegal dumping, weedy lots, litter and vacant houses, can be quickly captured, recorded, and prioritized for action. ComNET adds a new layer of citizen-government communication, accountability, and citizen oversight.
Neighborhood groups interested in scheduling a ComNet survey in their community should contact Jay Reinstein, manager with the City of Durham’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, at (919) 560-4222, extension 226 or by e-mail at Jay.Reinstein@durhamnc.gov.
Cyclists often complain that our needs are different from drivers’ needs and that our needs are ignored in favor of the (perceived to be) larger or more affluent driving community.
Participation in a program like ComNet would be a good way for local cyclists to document and bring attention to the bike community’s needs. Since the City of Durham is initiating the program, they’re more likely to be receptive to what we have to say.
ComNet strikes me as similar to the Durham Pace Car program in that both invite the public, qua average citizens, to join with local government in taking responsibility for the community. Citizen-activist programs like ComNet have the potential to bring fresh attention to issues and neighborhoods chronically overlooked by empowering voiceless members of Durham’s community. The effectiveness of ComNet, which is essentially an exercise in distributed information gathering, will rest primarily on what the City does with the information it gathers.
The City won’t be able to do much if it doesn’t collect good info, and that’s where the cyclists come in. Cyclists are sensitive to changes in the environment (think pot holes and debris-strewn bike lanes), because we’re closer to the environment and just plain more likely to see what needs fixin’. It seems to me that cyclists are ideal candidates for an on-the-ground program like this.
Anyone want to step up and volunteer to participate in ComNet? If so, start by going through your neighborhood association.
CHANGE
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nicomachus.net is the virtual representation of Phillip Barron, who is responsible for all of the writing and photography, unless otherwise credited. Want to know more?
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