Proposal Accepted!
I recently submitted a proposal to the American Geographical Society Library regarding my interest in doing an artwork in the site. Last week, the proposal was accepted and I am now in the data collection phase of the project. Below is the letter submitted that introduces the project. I am hoping to have the work completed by mid December. Following the completion of the installation, I will hold a public artist's talk at the library discussing the research and artwork produced during the residency period.
My graduate research is invested in finding relationships between the human body, cartographic processes, and our understanding of internal/external space. This semester, as the Artist-In-Residence at the American Geographical Society Library, I have been researching its vast resources on cartographic record and process.
The AGSL collection provides a special visual experience, and can be considered in many capacities-- formally, conceptually, and logically. After spending much of the semester thus far doing research, I have become interested in expressing some of my discoveries through a temporary art installation inside the AGS Library.
My concept is to use a process of behavioral mapping in conjunction with more formal cartographic graphic systems. Specifically, patterns of contours created by recording the movement of AGSL librarians will be temporarily incorporated into the library floor.
First, I will observe the walking and library use patterns of the librarians over a given time period. Next, using a needle and thread, I will create a map of these movements onto the library carpeting, creating a visual record that activates the neutral space; both aesthetisizing the space and providing library users with an added element of conceptual cartographic exhibition.
Due to the nature of the AGSL “level-loop” carpet, I should be able to create temporary lines on the floor by using a needle to draw the thread through the carpet loops at a rate of approximately every 2 inches. This will allow a visible, yet delicate line to be added to the floor with a very simple removal process that would not disrupt the integrity of the carpet.
Attached, I have included some research material that may give a better understanding of my resource and process ideas. If you have any questions, or would like to see a test done in the space, do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your consideration,
Leah Schreiber
Artist-In-Residence
American Geographical Society Library
My graduate research is invested in finding relationships between the human body, cartographic processes, and our understanding of internal/external space. This semester, as the Artist-In-Residence at the American Geographical Society Library, I have been researching its vast resources on cartographic record and process.
The AGSL collection provides a special visual experience, and can be considered in many capacities-- formally, conceptually, and logically. After spending much of the semester thus far doing research, I have become interested in expressing some of my discoveries through a temporary art installation inside the AGS Library.
My concept is to use a process of behavioral mapping in conjunction with more formal cartographic graphic systems. Specifically, patterns of contours created by recording the movement of AGSL librarians will be temporarily incorporated into the library floor.
First, I will observe the walking and library use patterns of the librarians over a given time period. Next, using a needle and thread, I will create a map of these movements onto the library carpeting, creating a visual record that activates the neutral space; both aesthetisizing the space and providing library users with an added element of conceptual cartographic exhibition.
Due to the nature of the AGSL “level-loop” carpet, I should be able to create temporary lines on the floor by using a needle to draw the thread through the carpet loops at a rate of approximately every 2 inches. This will allow a visible, yet delicate line to be added to the floor with a very simple removal process that would not disrupt the integrity of the carpet.
Attached, I have included some research material that may give a better understanding of my resource and process ideas. If you have any questions, or would like to see a test done in the space, do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your consideration,
Leah Schreiber
Artist-In-Residence
American Geographical Society Library


