Clay and Plaster Frequency Map III

The moment of truth as I peeled back the clay on Friday last week.

Peeling back the clay from the plaster of the frequency map

I was very excited by the structures revealed as a result of digging out the clay to varying depths dependent on how many times I’d been down the streets surrounding our flat. I was pleased by the organic, root or rhizome-like structures that also made me think of mycelium – perhaps because everything was still stained with the red clay and looked very earthy. The visual metaphor felt right though.

A view of the frequency map showing high ridges on the street we live on

From the side, Mat and I enjoyed the mountain-like terrain that the ridges built, a landscape made from use, an object made by hand but with a digital method of reproduction and data gathering.

Side view of the plaster cast of the streets round our house showing mountain-like terrain

There are, after all, landscape metaphors in the digital world: data ‘mining’, ‘cloud’ computing, data ‘mountains’, not to mention the urban ‘canyons’ talked about in relation to GPS reception in cities.

Detail of plaster object showing rhizomatic, root-like representation of journeys

The tallest peak in this mountain range is of course where we live, being the most reiterated spot on the map as we always come back here, even if the GPS doesn’t have reception at first (although the new etrex 10s are pretty fast starting up)