October 6, 2010

UCSB's Interdisciplinary Humanities Center Presents ‘Geographies of Place' Series

Globalization, environmentalism, cognitive science, and new spatial technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), and Google Earth are transforming our perception of space and place. In a yearlong series of events titled "Geographies of Place," the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) at UC Santa Barbara will examine how mapping, media, and imaginative labor have produced and changed ideas of place. All events are free and open to the public.

The series begins on Wednesday, October 13, with a lecture by Kim Yasuda, professor of art at UCSB. In "Isla Vista: A Public Research Lab," Yasuda will discuss her work on using mapping technologies to explore how the residents of Isla Vista use their social spaces. She will speak at 4 p.m. in the McCune Conference Room, 6020 Humanities and Social Sciences Building.

"UCSB is the perfect place to do this series," said Ann Bermingham, the IHC's acting director. "Not only do we have numerous faculty members whose work involves the study of space and place, but we also have resources like an extraordinary collection of architectural drawings in the University Art Museum, an outstanding collection of maps in Davidson library, and a tremendously innovative interdisciplinary program, spatial@ucsb, which fosters spatial research and teaching."

On Friday, October 15, from 1 to 4 p.m., Michael Goodchild, professor of geography at UCSB, and members of spatial@ucsb will present "Tools of Mapmaking," a demonstration of new mapping technologies and their applications. More than just tools for finding one's way, these technologies can tell stories, reveal previously unseen patterns and trends, pose political and social questions, and function as works of art. The workshop will take place in the McCune Conference Room.

Also in the fall, UCSB media arts and technology professor George LeGrady will present his work documenting everyday life in Cree Indian settlements in James Bay, Canada, and UCSB film and media studies professor Dana Driskel will discuss Flying A Studios and Santa Barbara's early filmmaking history. They will speak at 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 21, and Wednesday, November 17, respectively, in the McCune Conference Room.

Other fall events will include a screening of the film "9 Star Hotel," with a talk by Israeli filmmaker Ido Haar to follow; and an art exhibit titled "Snarled Megalopolis," which will take a look at unplanned urban spaces such as slums and shantytowns.

A two-day conference centered on mapping is slated for February. Participants will include the renowned map collector David Rumsey. Other talks and events scheduled for the series are a roundtable with artist Trevor Paglen; a visit from the LA Urban Rangers; and talks by UCLA geographer Edward Soja and by Daniel Rosenberg, creator of the on-line magazine Cabinet, and co-author with Anthony Grafton of Cartographies of Time: A History of the Timeline.

More information about Geographies of Place, including a complete schedule of events, is available at www.ihc.ucsb.edu/geographies.

Issued: 10/6/10; Corrected 11/3/10

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.