Mapscapes: applying anachronic techniques in contemporary maps as a design strategy for new ways of seeing

Abstract

This research upholds the designer’s mediatory role in the representation of places and hand drawing as a privileged tool. Given the current technological capacity for an automatic representation of the territory and landscape, one can question if the hand that draws the map is now anachronistic. The hypothesis of hybridism between the landscape observational drawing and the cartographic code is proposed, supported by the historical analysis of maps from the sixteenth century. The resultant anachronistic techniques are systematized as a design strategy, available for use by other authors, elsewhere. The techniques were tested by drawing landscapes and producing maps of places. It is concluded that the transference of anachronistic techniques is relevant in contemporary maps intended for touristic, cultural and commercial contexts, when wayfinding skills are not essential. As an open source, other authors may use the same strategy, applying different anachronistic techniques, based on their own subjectivity.