Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/587664
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2015 This Week 41 How would you describe cultural mapping to those unfamiliar with the concept. What would you say are some of its most salient concerns and priorities, and how would you say they can have a direct benefit on our understanding of public and cultural spaces? Cultural mapping can be de- scribed as a set of approaches or methodological tools to involve communities in the identifica- tion and recording of local cul- tural assets, with the implication that this knowledge will then be used to inform collective strate- gies, planning processes, or other initiatives. These participatory and interdisciplinary methodologies enable processes to articulate and record and thus "make visible" the multi-layered cultural aspects and meanings of a particular place, both tangible and intangible. Cul- tural mapping promises new ways of describing, accounting for, and coming to terms with the cultural resources of communities and places. Leading approaches to cultural mapping today acknowledge the shifting and fragmented nature of many communities and aim to reflect and privilege pluralistic local knowledges, perceptions of importance, and ways of under- standing. Extending from this, they also aim to draw connec- tions and articulate relationships between people and place, culture and nature. This work aims not only to document and preserve this information but also to cata- lyze and propel place-embedded cultural traditions and knowl- edges into the future, construct- ing the scaffolding for pluralist cultural sustainability. How 'transferable' are the tools of cultural mapping? Could you apply certain basic tenets of cultural mapping to any country or location? Cultural mapping is transferable to any size of community and dif- ferent approaches have been ap- plied in a diverse array of settings internationally. Cultural mapping guides have been produced in countries as diverse as Canada, New Caledonia (for south Pacific islands), Thailand, Brazil, Kenya, and South Africa. The cultural mapping approaches adopted in each place have been adapted to the purposes, needs, and specific realities of each place. Attentive- ness to local distinctive charac- teristics and issues, and the multi- plicities of perspectives, histories, and knowledges that give mean- ings to a place are at the core of contemporary cultural mapping approaches. What are some of the main challenges when it comes to executing effective cultural mapping, and communicating this to the more general public, especially given how it's a relative new discipline? As an emerging field, it is being built up through an array of meth- odologies and approaches. It is a field that is informed by multi- disciplinary research and schol- arly innovations, evolving cultural planning practices, modes of ar- tistic inquiry, and technological advances. Thus, is it not a singu- lar "entity," and approaches will differ in the techniques employed and the purposes of each project, as well as the degree to which community members are engaged in processes and how they partici- pate. The projects are very much created to fit particular purposes and circumstances. For example, communities have traditionally focused on mapping tangible and "locate-able" assets and features, but have increasingly found that important intangible dimensions of place must also be included in cultural mapping exercises, and are experimenting with different ways of capturing and communi- cating these stories. The outputs of most cultural mapping proc- esses are linked to a geographical map, but not always. Sometimes the information compiled is best communicated in other ways, for example, directories or invento- ries, graphics, books, audio and video works, or even 3D models! What drives your interest in Culturizing Sustainable Cities? And how do you think the concepts therein could apply to a space like Malta, with its small size and lax attitude towards environmental concerns? While levels of evident convic- tion may vary, I believe communi- ties of all sizes are concerned with their future sustainability, typi- cally anchored in environmental concerns but also in a more holis- tic and multidimensional ways in- corporating economic, social and cultural aspects. However, giving the pressing environmental issues today, in policies and investment programmes to support sustain- able cities and communities, the focus has been primarily (often exclusively) on environmental issues and concerns – often po- sitioned as technical, top-down problems and solutions. My interest in 'Culturizing Sus- tainable Cities' is aligned with cit- izen-driven actions in co-creating their future cities, and the role that cultural and creative initia- tives can play in connecting peo- ple with place and the steward- ship of their local environment. It also recognizes artistic projects to address environmental issues, and efforts of planners to incorporate cultural dimensions within community sustainability plans. Culture's place within proc- esses to design and develop more sustainable cities and communi- ties is not yet widely understood and thus often marginalized. Yet a wide range of experimental initia- tives can be observed in both pol- icy/planning and cultural spheres, contextualized amidst growing concern about the need to go be- yond "creative city" intercity com- petition or to invent strategies to involve artistic-cultural actors in fostering more sustainable cities. I want to learn from the many varied projects and planning ex- periments underway to that are advancing these practices. How can we build more culturally and environmentally sensitive sus- tainable cities? What artistic and policy/planning practices should be considered to inform the design of symbiotic in situ systems of ar- rangements to catalyze and build this environment? The conference Cultural Mapping: Debating Spaces and Places will be taking place on October 22 and 23 at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta. For more information log on to: www. valletta2018.org/cultural- mapping-debating-spaces-and- places The cultural potential of the spaces we inhabit Ahead of the Cultural Mapping conference organised by the Valletta 2018 Foundation, TEODOR RELJIC speaks to researcher and conference participant Dr Nancy Duxbury about her expertise in the emerging field of cultural mapping, and how it can be applied to the Maltese scenario Dr Nancy Duxbury