In 2017, I walked for nearly forty days along the GR-11, the famed Transpirenaica footpath, tracing the Pyrenees on the Spanish side, end-to-end, from Irun to Cap de Creus. Alongside Sonia Ibáñez Pérez, I traversed the Basque Country, Navarre, Aragón, Andorra and Catalonia with the goal of reciprocating the longer five-month walk we completed along my own birthplace mountains–the Appalachians–back in 2013*. We were walking her mountains. Walks were–and still are–our mode of inquiry, our way of knowing a place–albeit by making mere transect lines through both the complex human and natural landscapes and layers.
The Transpirenaica walk left me wanting more of the Pyrenees—not just for the physical challenge but for the way it deepened my connection to its landscape and stories. Seven years later, now living in Sobrarbe in Alto Aragón, in the shadow of the Pyrenees and learning Aragonés, I’ve embarked on a new expedition—a deeper dive into the region’s human geographies and how they intersect with its wild beauty.
Reading El Pirineo sin Briet, by geologist Ánchel Belmonte Ribas and cultural expert Lise Laporte, feels like an extension of that journey—a next step in a way of seeing the Pyrenees not just as a place of physical challenge but as a shared cultural and natural treasure. This is a book that transcends time and disciplines. At its heart, it is a celebration of Lucien Briet, the early 20th-century photographer, writer, and explorer whose images and advocacy shaped how the Pyrenees are imagined, experienced, and, most crucially, conserved.
This book is an homage to Briet’s enduring vision, but it is also much more: it is a story of change, both in the landscape and in how we perceive it. It bridges art and science, memory and modernity, and asks us to consider what the Pyrenees mean in an age of unprecedented environmental transformation.
Lucien Briet: A Visionary and Advocate
For those, like me, who are relative newcomers to the Pyrenees, Lucien Briet (1860-1921) is both an anchor and a touchstone—a figure whose vision helps us understand the enduring allure of these mountains. Born in Paris, Briet was not merely a traveler but a pireneísta, a passionate student and lover of the Pyrenees. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he ventured deep into the region, capturing its grandeur through thousands of photographs and detailed writings that revealed its cultural and ecological essence.
Briet’s photography opened the Pyrenees to audiences far beyond its summits and valleys, bringing alive a wilderness that might otherwise have remained invisible to ever-growing urban audiences. His artistry framed the mountains as places of significance—spaces deserving not only admiration but protection. Yet Briet’s impact went far beyond the photographic. His 1913 book, Bellezas del Alto Aragón, chronicled explorations through Ordesa valley, along the Ara river, and into the Mascún canyon and Escoaín gorges, alongside iconic sites like the Peña Montañesa, the Marboré massif, and the Sierra de Guara.
Most notable, Briet was one of the earliest advocates for conservation, recognizing the risks posed by industrial expansion and unchecked tourism. His tireless efforts helped pave the way for the creation of Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park in 1918—one of Spain’s first protected areas and a living monument to his legacy.
In El Pirineo sin Briet, Belmonte and Laporte center Briet’s work as both a cultural bridge and a moral imperative. They revisit the exact places Briet once photographed, offering not just comparisons but invitations to reflect on what has changed and what remains. By curating Briet’s vision alongside their own contemporary explorations, the authors remind us that landscapes—like heritage—are never static but require our active participation to preserve.
The Changing Landscape of the Pyrenees
At the heart of El Pirineo sin Briet lies an exploration of the sweeping transformations that have shaped the Pyrenees over the past century. Drawing on Ánchel Belmonte’s geological precision and Lise Laporte’s cultural insights, the authors provide a multidimensional portrait of a landscape in flux. Each carefully curated chapter uncovers new layers of adaptation, resilience, and interconnected change.
The Pyrenees: A Stage of Change
The Pyrenees are presented as a dynamic stage where natural forces and human activities intertwine, shaping valleys, peaks, and rivers into evolving narratives. By tracing this interplay, the authors emphasize the mountains’ role as both a witness to and participant in centuries of change.
A Brief Recent Climatic History of the Pyrenees
Climate shifts over the last century have left their mark on the Pyrenees, from subtle changes in temperature to more pronounced shifts in precipitation patterns. These variations ripple through ecosystems, reshaping glaciers, altering vegetation, and redefining rivers.
The Landscape That [Almost] Doesn’t Change
Some elements of the Pyrenees appear impervious to time—ancient rock formations and ecosystems that have withstood millennia. The juxtaposition of these constants with areas undergoing rapid transformation invites reflection: how long can these enduring features remain untouched in a world of accelerating change?
Summits and Slopes: Spaces of Transition
High-altitude zones of the Pyrenees, where life exists on the edge, emerge as fragile yet revealing spaces. Changes in vegetation creeping higher and signs of erosion accelerating point to the impacts of climate shifts even in these extreme environments. Photographs of San Nicolás de Bujaruelo capture this convergence of natural and cultural landscapes. The medieval bridge over the Río Ara stands as a timeless testament to human connection with the mountains, inviting a deeper contemplation of the relationship between preservation and transformation. The Transpirenaica crosses the bridge.
Rivers: The Great Connectors
Rivers thread through the Pyrenean landscape, linking ecosystems, histories, and communities. Yet, human interventions—damming, sediment transport disruptions, and water management—have altered their flow and meaning. These waterways, once symbols of continuity, now also reflect the layered consequences of human impact.
Glaciers: The Great Change
The retreat of glaciers is portrayed through a powerful pairing of Briet’s stark historical photographs with vivid contemporary images. The resulting contrasts reveal not just loss but the interconnected nature of this transformation, impacting rivers, ecosystems, and cultural identity. Rather than reducing glaciers to symbols of despair, the authors use them to provoke reflection on resilience and responsibility. Their comparative methodology offers visual evidence of environmental change, transcending the oversimplified narratives often found in media discussions **.
A Visual and Multidisciplinary Dialogue
The pairing of Lucien Briet’s historical photographs with modern images taken from the same vantage points is one of the book’s triumphs. Belmonte’s precision as a photographer and geologist creates a “temporal map,” offering tangible evidence of change while evoking both awe and concern.
Lise Laporte complements this with a cultural lens that highlights the significance of heritage and memory. Together, their collaboration transforms the book into more than an academic or artistic exercise—it becomes a meditation on time and place. The inclusion of detailed GPS coordinates invites readers to embark on their own expeditions, underscoring the book’s interactive spirit. This interactivity transforms the book into more than a static artifact—it becomes a guide for readers to engage actively with the Pyrenees, to follow Briet’s footsteps and create their own visual and emotional dialogues.
A Shared Geography
For me, El Pirineo sin Briet helps reframe the walk along the Transpirenaica–transporting me back but also beyond simple snapshots taken in 2017. The book visualizes the fact that geological change can happen in 7 years or 100, challenging this human geographer’s misinformed notion that all geomorphology is slow and ultimately fixed on a hard-to-count scale of eternal geological time. Before this book, I didn’t yet know Lucien Briet, nor did I consider how much the Pyrenees had changed in the heavily industrialized 20th century. Reading this book deepened my understanding of the Pyrenees as a living, breathing landscape—alive with memory, shaped by history, and vulnerable to our choices.
The book’s final chapter, El Pirineo del Futuro (The Pyrenees of Tomorrow), leaves me asking: In what ways do the historical transformations documented in this book guide future conservation efforts? How are communities in the Pyrenees already adapting to ongoing changes, and how can their voices shape the region’s future? What can the Pyrenees teach us about resilience, both ecological and cultural, in the face of global challenges? Are there ways to reinvigorate sustainable practices that have been abandoned over time, such as traditional agriculture and herding, to harmonize human activity with environmental preservation? How can the tools of art and storytelling, exemplified by this book, help us to cultivate a deeper, more empathetic relationship with changing landscapes?
The book provides no easy answers because that is not its purpose. The authors give us a map and coordinates and remind us that the exploration—and responsibility—is ours to undertake.
A Legacy of Imagination, Action, and Reflection
At its core, El Pirineo sin Briet is both a celebration and a challenge. It celebrates the enduring legacy of Lucien Briet, whose vision of the Pyrenees as spaces of awe, wonder, and significance laid the foundation for their conservation. His photographs and writings transformed the Pyrenees from remote wilderness into cherished cultural and natural heritage. Yet the book goes beyond mere celebration, challenging readers to confront the changing landscapes of the Pyrenees and consider their role in shaping the region’s future.
Belmonte and Laporte use Briet’s work as a foundation to explore the dynamic interplay of memory, change, and responsibility that defines these mountains today. Their ability to blend art and science, emotion and intellect, is one of the book’s greatest achievements. By juxtaposing Briet’s historical photographs with modern imagery, they transform abstract discussions of environmental change into something viscerally tangible: glaciers retreating, vegetation shifting, and rivers reshaped by time and human activity. Belmonte’s geological expertise anchors the narrative with scientific rigor, while Laporte’s cultural reflections infuse the story with historical and emotional depth.
Ultimately, El Pirineo sin Briet is more than a book; it is a time capsule, a scientific treatise, and a call to action. It reminds us of the fragility and beauty of the natural world while challenging us to reflect on our roles in shaping its future. Through Lucien Briet’s lens, Belmonte and Laporte rekindle our connection to the Pyrenees and inspire us to protect its enduring legacy.
As Fernando Pessoa’s epigraph reminds us, “What we see is not made of what we see, but of what we are.” El Pirineo sin Briet invites us to reflect on how landscapes—like the Pyrenees—not only reveal their essence but also shape who we are. In an age of climate uncertainty, there is no greater act of hope than imagining—and preserving—the futures we want for generations to come.
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*For more on the Appalachian Trail, listen to EPISODE TWENTY NINE: A Great American Pilgrimage(March 25, 2017) ofGeographical Imaginations: Radio Expeditions into the Geographies of Everything and Nothing when we explore the 3500 kilometer walk from Maine to Georgia in the Eastern woods of the United States traversing the ridge-line of the oldest mountains in the world, the Appalachians.
** For more on media representation in the age of climate change, listen to EPISODE FIFTY EIGHT: Poster Bear (November 23, 2019) of Geographical Imaginations: Radio Expeditions into the Geographies of Everything and Nothing. This episode is the second part of a two-episode exploration of two polar bears—the one that travels along the ice and the other one that circulates in the media.
The Americans (2013–2018) delves into the quiet, unnerving duality of espionage during the Cold War—not in grand, sweeping battles of ideology, but in the most intimate spaces of identity, family, and loyalty. At its core, The Americans asks what it means to live between worlds and examines the invisible lines we draw within ourselves and between those we love. I would argue that while the show’s premise revolves around espionage, its real territory is psychological, exploring the inner landscapes of duty, deception, and identity formation.
Identity as Terrain: Navigating the Self in Two Worlds
The most powerful exploration in The Americans is that of identity as a shifting, unstable terrain. Philip and Elizabeth Jennings are tasked with an impossible balancing act: they must fully inhabit an American identity to avoid detection, while maintaining loyalty to a Soviet self that is constantly tested and redefined. Over time, this split existence erodes the clear boundaries of who they are, not only to others but to themselves. The resulting tension is profound: The Americans is less a series about spying and more a meditation on identity as contested ground.
Elizabeth and Philip’s transformation over time speaks to the concept of performative identity—the idea that identity is not fixed but is constantly constructed through our interactions and performances in the world. For Philip, the act of being American gradually ceases to be a mere role and starts to reshape his sense of self, making him question the beliefs he’s fought to uphold. Elizabeth, on the other hand, resists this transformation, seeing American life as an artifice, a performance necessary only for her mission.
For viewers, this raises complex questions: Can we sustain an identity built on deception? And how much of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice for loyalty to something greater? Philip’s quiet struggle with these questions plays out in subtle but deeply impactful ways, reminding us that identity is not only a matter of birth or nationality but something that is shaped and reshaped with each choice, each action, and each compromise.
The Family as Cartography of Conflict
What makes The Americans exceptional is its exploration of family as a landscape of ideological conflict. For the Jennings, family life is a delicate balancing act of authenticity and deceit. Every interaction with their children Paige and Henry becomes a navigational challenge, forcing Philip and Elizabeth to conceal not only their missions but their very selves. This concealment turns family life into a territory fraught with unspoken loyalties and dangerous half-truths, where love and duty constantly clash.
As Paige grows older, she begins to intuit the fissures within her family and the inconsistencies between her parents’ actions and their words. This shift in the family dynamic forces Philip and Elizabeth to confront the consequences of their double lives: What does it mean to raise children in a home built on secrets? And can a family truly be a safe space when it’s embedded in deception?
Paige’s gradual awareness of her parents’ true identities introduces a further complexity. She becomes a kind of cultural intermediary, pulled between the American values she has internalized and the Soviet ideology her parents try to instill. Her journey of discovery not only destabilizes the family but also becomes a map of conflicted generational and ideological loyalty. In this way, the family is more than a unit of love and security; it becomes a terrain where identities collide, boundaries are drawn and redrawn, and conflicting loyalties shape each member in unpredictable ways.
Intimate Geographies of Loyalty and Deception
Loyalty in The Americans operates not in sweeping patriotic gestures but in the daily, quiet decisions to stay committed to a cause, a country, or a person. Philip and Elizabeth’s work forces them to become cartographers of intimacy, mapping out which parts of themselves they can safely reveal and which must be hidden, even from each other. Their marriage, initially a practical arrangement, becomes an intricate choreography of loyalty and betrayal, where both intimacy and secrecy are forms of survival.
Their interactions with others—friends, lovers, neighbors—further blur the lines between the personal and the ideological. Stan Beeman, their FBI agent neighbor, becomes both friend and potential threat, illustrating the fragile borders of loyalty and deception that define their world. With each passing season, the Jennings’ loyalty to their Soviet mission is continually tested not by external forces but by the quiet, powerful pull of personal connections they form on American soil.
This exploration of loyalty as a geography of the self highlights the idea that commitment to a cause is not simply about allegiance to a nation but a process of self-definition. For Elizabeth, loyalty is ironclad—a sense of duty embedded so deeply in her that it becomes the bedrock of her identity. Philip, however, feels the instability of that ground. As his connections deepen within American society, his loyalty to the Soviet mission falters, underscoring how loyalty is not a fixed point on a map but a shifting landscape, shaped by relationships, emotions, and the erosion of ideological clarity.
Emotional Surveillance and the Weight of Invisibility
Surveillance in The Americans is not just about watching and being watched; it’s about living with the constant weight of invisibility and the existential loneliness that comes with it. Philip and Elizabeth live under intense pressure to conceal their true identities, and this invisibility takes a toll. In some ways, they are always in hiding—not just from others but from themselves. This existential surveillance shapes every aspect of their lives, creating an unspoken understanding that at any moment, a misstep could unravel everything.
But this surveillance is not limited to their roles as spies; it permeates their family life, where the “normalcy” they must project to their children is yet another form of concealment. Philip’s growing fatigue and disillusionment reflect the toll of constantly surveilling his own behavior, thoughts, and even emotions. For Elizabeth, this internal surveillance becomes an almost militant form of self-control, a refusal to let sentimentality or vulnerability penetrate her resolve.
In this way, The Americans explores surveillance as an inner geography of confinement, showing how people can become both the watchers and the watched in their own lives. The Jennings’ experience reveals how ideological commitment can restrict the self, forcing them to police their own emotions and thoughts in ways that slowly but surely erode their identities. It’s a stark reminder of the human cost of ideological warfare, where the mind becomes the battleground and the self is both weapon and casualty.
Conclusion: The Inner Cartographies of Espionage and Identity
The Americans is, at its heart, an exploration of the landscapes we create within ourselves. While espionage may be the series’ surface appeal, the true intrigue lies in the Jennings’ navigation of identity, loyalty, and love within a web of lies. The show reveals that the most profound conflicts are not played out on national stages or battlefields but in the spaces of personal connection, where every choice is a line drawn between who we are and who we must pretend to be.
Philip and Elizabeth’s journey reveals that living between two identities is not just a logistical challenge; it is an emotional and psychological geography, a place where self-deception, love, and duty overlap in ways that are often painful and profound. In this way, The Americans asks its audience to consider the borders we draw in our own lives—the invisible lines of loyalty, the boundaries between public and private selves, and the spaces within us that we reserve for those we love, even when love and loyalty seem impossible to reconcile.
Through these intimate, psychological landscapes, The Americans turns espionage into a human story, a map of inner conflicts, shifting loyalties, and the quiet resilience it takes to live a double life. For cultural geographers, the series is a reminder that sometimes, the most complex terrains are not those of cities or nations but the inner landscapes of identity, where loyalties clash, selves are made and remade, and the cost of belonging is never truly paid.
NOTE: This is the first in a series of reviews of courses that we at GIEI think serve well to prepare the geo-storyteller.
ESRI’s ArcGIS Web App MOOC “Make an Impact with Modern Geo Apps” provides an inspiring introduction to GIS, blending technical skills with tools that enable powerful geographic storytelling. By exploring Instant Apps, StoryMaps, Dashboards, and Experience Builder, participants gain a foundational understanding of how to create engaging, data-driven narratives that foster a deeper connection to place.
In line with GIEI’s mission, this course emphasizes the power of interactive mapping to broaden our geographic awareness and shift how we might perceive the world at all scales. Through these web apps, users can explore, understand, and share complex geographical insights, reinforcing the idea that geography is a shared, ever-evolving conversation.
Course Highlights
Engaging, Scenario-Based Learning: Each lesson situates GIS skills within real-world contexts, encouraging learners to view data as stories waiting to be told. This aligns with the GIEI’s goal of making geography relevant and relatable, transforming abstract data into insights that connect people with the spaces around them.
A Comprehensive Toolkit for Geographic Storytelling: With ArcGIS’s range of apps, learners can create immersive narratives on diverse topics, from visualizing migration patterns to exploring historical change. Each tool—StoryMaps, Dashboards, Experience Builder—offers a unique way to bring data to life, showing that geography isn’t just about maps, but about sharing experiences that expand our sense of place.
Accessible, Creative Instruction: The course’s step-by-step guidance makes GIS approachable, even for newcomers, while allowing room for creativity. By focusing on the “how” and “why” of each tool, learners gain skills to produce meaningful maps that inspire curiosity and awareness, which are central to the GIEI vision of shared geographic understanding.
Suggestions for Further Enrichment
Advanced Customization: Briefly introducing custom widgets or expressions inspires users to further personalize their apps, offering a glimpse into GIS’s more advanced storytelling capabilities.
Incorporating Real-Time Data: Using real-time data would allow learners to see geography as an active, unfolding story. Adding exercises with live data streams could help illustrate the dynamism of geographic processes, fostering a stronger connection between users and the environments they map.
Supporting Personal Projects: Providing guidance for those wishing to apply GIS skills to unique projects could empower learners to explore topics relevant to their own lives, communities, or interests—essential for nurturing the curiosity that GIEI promotes.
ArcGIS Apps as Catalysts for Expanding Geographical Imagination
ArcGIS apps do more than teach GIS; they offer platforms for discovery, empathy, and reimagination. By enabling interactive, layered storytelling, these tools allow us to transform geographic data into narratives that help others see the world through new perspectives.
StoryMaps for Layered Narratives: StoryMaps blend maps, multimedia, and narrative to build rich, multi-dimensional stories. For example, a StoryMap could illustrate how a community has evolved over time, connecting viewers with local histories, cultural landscapes, and shifting environments—fostering a renewed awareness of place.
Dashboards for Real-Time Exploration: Dashboards allow us to engage with real-time data, making complex information accessible at a glance. Imagine a dashboard tracking changes in urban green space or air quality, inviting viewers to see the cumulative effects of human activity on landscapes. Such insights encourage deeper reflection on human-environment interactions.
Experience Builder for Interactive Exploration:Experience Builder’s customizable, multi-page layouts are perfect for projects that involve detailed exploration. Whether mapping neighborhood art or tracking local species diversity, Experience Builder allows users to create apps that spark curiosity, inviting audiences to participate in geography as a shared inquiry.
Conclusion
The ArcGIS Web App MOOC is more than a technical course; it’s an invitation to reimagine how we interact with geography. Through intuitive exercises and tools that transform data into narrative experiences, this course equips learners to explore, document, and share the world in ways that inspire and connect. The skills developed here foster curiosity, empathy, and a collaborative approach to understanding place.
In learning to use StoryMaps, Dashboards, and Experience Builder, participants gain skills to engage with geography as a living field, where maps are no longer just visuals but powerful storytelling platforms. This course helps us to broaden our geographical imagination, inviting others into conversations that reframe our understanding of landscapes, cultures, and environments as interconnected narratives. In doing so, ArcGIS web apps become not just tools but catalysts for curiosity and connection, inspiring us to see the world through layers of shared meaning and discovery.
A geo-storyteller is an explorer of the physical, human and imagined geographies of our world. They are part geographer, part artist, part historian, and part advocate, using storytelling as a powerful tool to bring landscapes, cultures, and connections to life. Geo-storytellers illuminate the layered relationships between people and places, turning maps into narratives and data into deeply human stories.
The Role of the Geo-Storyteller
Interpreting Place A geo-storyteller transforms physical spaces into meaningful places. By uncovering the histories, memories, and meanings attached to landscapes, they reveal how places shape—and are shaped by—human experience.
Blending Disciplines Working at the intersection of geography, anthropology, ecology, and the arts, geo-storytellers use an interdisciplinary lens to explore and represent the world. They merge science with creativity, offering insights that are both rigorous and deeply evocative.
Uncovering Hidden Narratives Geo-storytellers are seekers of untold stories. They amplify voices that have been silenced, highlight the significance of overlooked landscapes, and give life to marginalized histories.
Connecting the Local and the Global By tying local experiences to global patterns, geo-storytellers help audiences see how their lives intersect with broader issues like climate change, migration, or urbanization. They show how the personal is political—and geographical.
The Work of the Geo-Storyteller
Mapping Meaning: Using maps not just as technical tools but as expressive mediums that tell stories of movement, change, and connection. These maps might trace historical routes, visualize social inequalities, or imagine future possibilities.
Story-Weaving: Blending oral histories, personal narratives, and archival research to create rich, multi-layered stories about places and the people who inhabit them.
Visualizing Data: Turning complex geographical information into accessible visuals that resonate emotionally, using tools like GIS, photography, and videography.
Advocating Through Narrative: Crafting stories that inspire action, whether advocating for environmental conservation, social justice, or cultural preservation.
The Spirit of a Geo-Storyteller
Empathy: A geo-storyteller listens deeply and works to understand the lived experiences of people in diverse places.
Imagination: They use storytelling to envision new possibilities for how we might live in harmony with the earth and with each other.
Curiosity: Always asking questions, they explore the edges of maps and the depths of untold stories.
Why Geo-Storytelling Matters
In an age of rapid change—where cities expand, climates shift, and borders are redrawn—geo-storytellers help us make sense of our place in the world. They remind us that every place has a story, every story shapes a place, and together these narratives form the fabric of our shared humanity.
Through their work, geo-storytellers inspire us to see the world not just as it is, but as it could be. They challenge us to reimagine our connections to the land and to each other, building bridges of understanding in an ever-changing world.
Este mapa sirve como una representación ilustrativa de las velocidades promedio de trenes en Europa, utilizando una escala de colores para mostrar las diferencias regionales. Aunque resulta visualmente atractivo e informativo en su alcance, un examen más detallado revela deficiencias significativas, particularmente al analizar sus implicaciones para España. Estas omisiones, especialmente en lo que respecta a la relación entre el desarrollo del tren de alta velocidad, los cambios históricos en la población y la despoblación rural, limitan su utilidad como herramienta analítica matizada.
Disparidad en la Velocidad de los Trenes en España y el Sesgo Urbano
El mapa destaca a España como líder en velocidades promedio de trenes, marcada con un tono verde oscuro que representa velocidades superiores a 180 km/h. Esto, a simple vista, refleja la gran inversión del país en trenes de alta velocidad (AVE), un proyecto que sin duda ha posicionado a España como un referente en la modernización ferroviaria. Sin embargo, esta representación generalizada oculta las profundas desigualdades espaciales derivadas de los cambios demográficos posteriores a la Segunda Guerra Mundial y una acelerada migración del campo a la ciudad.
Desde mediados del siglo XX, España ha experimentado profundos cambios en sus patrones de asentamiento. Las zonas rurales, particularmente en regiones del interior como Castilla y León, Valencia, Extremadura y Aragón, han sufrido un pronunciado descenso poblacional debido a la industrialización, las oportunidades laborales en las ciudades y la consolidación de infraestructuras en los centros metropolitanos. Este éxodo rural ha influido directamente en la red ferroviaria: las líneas regionales más lentas, que antes eran críticas para conectar comunidades dispersas, han sido desmanteladas o abandonadas sistemáticamente en favor de corredores de alta velocidad que conectan nodos urbanos como Madrid, Barcelona y Sevilla. Como resultado, aunque el mapa celebra los logros técnicos de España, pasa por alto la realidad de que vastas zonas de la población rural permanecen cada vez más “incomunicadas”.
La Ceguera ante la Despoblación Rural
Al priorizar métricas de velocidad sin contexto, el mapa respalda implícitamente un modelo de desarrollo que da prioridad a las conexiones de alta velocidad entre centros económicos sobre la movilidad equitativa. Esto es particularmente evidente en España, donde las zonas rurales suelen carecer de acceso a la moderna y elegante red del AVE. El cierre de líneas regionales más lentas ha dejado a muchos pueblos rurales sin alternativas de transporte público, profundizando su aislamiento socioeconómico. Esta dinámica de despoblación rural, entrelazada con la política de infraestructuras, ha sido una característica definitoria de la modernización de España desde la posguerra, pero está completamente ausente en esta visualización.
Además, el énfasis del mapa en los promedios nacionales oscurece la distribución geográfica desigual de los servicios ferroviarios dentro de los países. Por ejemplo, aunque la red de alta velocidad de España se encuentra entre las más extensas del mundo, solo una minoría de la población—principalmente aquellos en grandes ciudades—se beneficia de ella. Un mapa más matizado destacaría las disparidades en el acceso y la cobertura, mostrando dónde los servicios de alta velocidad han sustituido a redes más lentas e inclusivas, marginando de manera efectiva a las regiones periféricas.
Implicaciones Más Amplias para la Representación de Datos
Esta crítica no es exclusiva de España. Tendencias similares de inversión ferroviaria centrada en áreas urbanas pueden observarse en otras partes de Europa, aunque en grados variables. Sin embargo, la rápida despoblación rural de España, junto con su agresiva apuesta por el desarrollo del tren de alta velocidad, lo convierten en un caso de estudio especialmente relevante. El mapa, en su forma actual, pierde la oportunidad de abordar estas dinámicas críticas, optando en cambio por una narrativa simplificada de progreso tecnológico.
Conclusión
En resumen, aunque este mapa ofrece una visión llamativa de las velocidades de los trenes en Europa, no logra incorporar los contextos históricos, económicos y sociales que moldean la infraestructura ferroviaria. En el caso de España, esta omisión es especialmente evidente, dado el marcado contraste entre la conectividad urbana de alta velocidad y el abandono rural. Las futuras versiones del mapa se beneficiarían de la integración de métricas como la accesibilidad de la red, las densidades de población regionales y las tendencias históricas en el cierre de líneas ferroviarias para ofrecer una imagen más completa de la movilidad en Europa. Un enfoque de este tipo subrayaría las consecuencias humanas de las decisiones de infraestructura, yendo más allá del atractivo exclusivo de la velocidad.
This map serves as an illustrative representation of average train speeds across Europe, employing a color-coded scale to depict regional differences. While it is visually engaging and informative in its scope, a closer examination reveals significant shortcomings, particularly when examining its implications for Spain. These oversights, especially regarding the interplay of high-speed rail development, historical population shifts, and rural depopulation, limit its utility as a nuanced analytical tool.
Spain’s Train Speed Disparity and Urban Bias
The map highlights Spain as a leader in average train speeds, marked by a dark green shade representing speeds exceeding 180 km/h. This, on the surface, reflects the country’s expansive investment in high-speed rail (AVE), a project that has undoubtedly positioned Spain as a frontrunner in rail modernization. However, this sweeping portrayal conceals the deeper spatial inequalities stemming from post-World War II demographic shifts and an accelerated rural-to-urban migration trend.
Since the mid-20th century, Spain has experienced profound changes in its settlement patterns. Rural areas, particularly in interior regions such as Castile and León, Valencia, Extremadura, and Aragón, have seen precipitous population declines due to industrialization, urban job opportunities, and infrastructure consolidation in metropolitan hubs. This rural exodus has directly influenced the train network: slower regional lines, once critical for connecting dispersed communities, have been systematically decommissioned or neglected in favor of high-speed rail corridors serving urban nodes like Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. Consequently, while the map celebrates Spain’s technical achievements, it glosses over the reality that vast swathes of the rural population remain increasingly “incomunicado” (isolated).
The Rural Depopulation Blind Spot
By prioritizing speed metrics without context, the map implicitly endorses a development model that prizes high-speed connections between economic centers over equitable mobility. This is particularly stark in Spain, where the rural hinterlands often lack access to the sleek, modernized AVE network. The closure of slower regional lines has left many rural towns without public transport alternatives, deepening their socioeconomic isolation. This rural depopulation dynamic, intertwined with infrastructure policy, has been a defining feature of Spain’s post-WWII modernization but is completely absent from this visualization.
Additionally, the map’s emphasis on national averages obscures the uneven geographic distribution of train services within countries. For example, while Spain’s high-speed rail network ranks among the world’s most extensive, only a minority of the population—primarily those in major cities—enjoys its benefits. A more nuanced map would highlight disparities in access and coverage, showing where high-speed services have supplanted slower, more inclusive networks, effectively marginalizing peripheral regions.
Broader Implications for Data Representation
This critique is not unique to Spain. Similar trends of urban-centric rail investment can be observed in other parts of Europe, albeit to varying degrees. However, Spain’s rapid rural depopulation, coupled with its aggressive pursuit of high-speed rail development, makes it a particularly compelling case study. The map, in its current form, misses an opportunity to address these critical dynamics, instead opting for a simplified narrative of technological progress.
Conclusion
In sum, while this map offers an eye-catching overview of European train speeds, it fails to account for the historical, economic, and social contexts that shape rail infrastructure. In Spain, this oversight is especially glaring, given the stark contrast between urban high-speed connectivity and rural neglect. Future iterations would benefit from integrating metrics such as network accessibility, regional population densities, and historical trends in rail closures to provide a more comprehensive picture of mobility across Europe. Such an approach would underscore the human consequences of infrastructural decisions, moving beyond the allure of speed alone.
Throughout history, the concept of utopia has served both as a refuge and a mirror—a place we imagine as better than where we are, yet one that reflects our deepest anxieties, contradictions, and aspirations. The VISIONA/HU (VISIONA Huesca) project, organized by the Diputación Provincial de Huesca in Aragón, Spain, has channeled this universal drive to escape, reinvent, or seek new possibilities. Over a cycle of (until now) four exhibitions, it has guided viewers through explorations of space, identity, and movement, provoking reflection on how landscapes—whether rural, urban, or entirely imagined—reveal the social, political, and cultural forces shaping them.
In 2024, VISIONA/HU presented Utopian Journeys, an exhibition that examined the allure and contradictions of utopia through the works of eight artists. Each artist invites viewers to transcend limitations and reimagine new realities. However, Utopian Journeys is not an isolated exhibition; it is the culmination of a thematic cycle exploring depopulation, displacement, tourism, and now speculative landscapes of possibility. Each edition in this series contributes to an evolving narrative linking art, geography, and community, offering shifting perspectives on movement and place. This year’s exhibition centers on journeys of the imagination, where utopia becomes not a destination but a horizon of possibilities—a continual questioning and reimagining.
The Evolution of VISIONA/HU Huesca: A Four-Part Cycle of Transformation
The VISIONA/HU cycle has explored four core themes, each engaging with a distinct spatial or societal concern. The project situates contemporary art within broader geographical contexts, transforming spaces into lenses through which we can explore deeper questions of meaning and identity. These themes—ranging from the tangible and historical to the speculative and aspirational—interweave geographical theory, cultural critique, and an evolving conversation with the Huesca community. They address complex subjects in geographical and cultural studies, such as migration, landscape transformation, the commodification of space, and the mutable boundaries of utopian vision. Each exhibition within VISIONA/HU has encouraged visitors to confront and interrogate these themes on both personal and collective levels, immersing them in spaces that function as portals to, and critiques of, the futures they imagine.
2018 – Depopulation and Transformation of Territory
The 2018 exhibition, Despoblación y Transformación del Territorio, focused on rural depopulation—a pressing issue in Spain, where migration to urban centers has left entire villages and regions in decline. This edition addressed depopulation not as mere absence but as a dynamic reshaping of both the physical and cultural landscapes of Spain’s rural territories. The resulting landscapes are not simply “empty” but layered with memories, histories, and potential futures of those who left and those who remain. The featured works captured rural decay as a process of transformation, revealing the layers of memory and loss inscribed in the landscape.
Through images of abandoned buildings, empty streets, and overgrown fields, the exhibition questioned the social and economic forces driving depopulation and asked whether rural spaces could hold new forms of meaning and community. In depicting spaces left behind, the exhibition evoked Edward Relph’s theory of “placelessness,” a condition where places lose their meaning or identity through decline or detachment from their original purpose. The works highlighted how landscapes become symbols of forgotten lives, and the spatial arrangement reminded audiences that these “empty” spaces are filled with latent histories, awaiting new stories and uses. This examination of depopulated spaces added a critical, geographical dimension to how we interpret and value rural landscapes, drawing attention to their social, historical, and environmental significance.
2019 – Journeys and Displacements
In 2019, VISIONA/HU turned its attention to Journeys and Displacements, exploring how migration and mobility alter identity and belonging. In this edition, space was understood as a construct produced through relationships and interactions. Migration and displacement transform both the places left behind and the destinations reached, creating “meeting places” where diverse trajectories intersect.
Rather than portraying movement as simply a shift from point A to point B, the exhibition revealed how journeys reshape the cultural and social fabric of both origin and destination. Forced migration, exile, and the emotional geographies of displacement became central themes. The works underscored that spaces are constituted by the movements, memories, and interactions of those who pass through them, challenging fixed notions of place and identity. By curating these complex interpretations of movement, VISIONA/HU invoked Henri Lefebvre’s production of space, emphasizing that the cultural and political significance of a place emerges through social practices and interactions. This emphasis on the multi-dimensional nature of displacement opened up critical questions about belonging, resilience, and the transformative power of journeying.
2021 – Tourism and Its Discontents
In 2021, VISIONA/HU shifted to Tourism and Its Discontents, critiquing the impact of global tourism on local spaces and identities. Tourism, while promoting economic growth, also commodifies culture, transforms local environments, and often alienates residents. This edition highlighted how tourism reshapes places to fit external desires and demands rather than local identities, raising questions about the possibility of preserving integrity in the face of commodification. Can places retain their cultural essence as they become destinations? Can heritage survive the objectifying gaze of tourism?
Through the lens of tourism, the works revealed the environmental and social impacts of being packaged and sold as cultural “experiences.” By examining the commodification of heritage, VISIONA/HU encouraged viewers to rethink their own roles as consumers of “authentic” experiences, exploring the tension between preserving and exploiting place. This theme resonated with sociologist Dean MacCannell’s critique of “staged authenticity,” which argues that tourism often creates superficial representations of places that distort their intrinsic meaning. The exhibition’s nuanced approach invited audiences to engage with tourism as both a deeply personal and collective experience, revealing how the “tourist gaze” transforms spaces, impacting both local identities and visitor expectations.
2024 – Utopian Journeys: Imagination and Transformation
This year, VISIONA/HU completed (maybe?) the cycle with Utopian Journeys, moving from the examination of real spaces to speculative, imagined worlds. Each artist brings a unique perspective, showing that utopia is not a fixed destination but a transformative journey shaped by dreams, ambition, and cultural myth-making.
Each artist in Utopian Journeys contributes a distinct interpretation of the utopian impulse, illustrating how journeys—whether literal, symbolic, or imagined—reshape our understanding of space, identity, and aspiration. These works invite us to reflect on the nature of utopia, showing that the pursuit of “elsewhere” is as much a search for meaning as it is for place. Here is a closer exploration of each artist’s work and how it contributes to the overarching theme of utopian journeys.
Georges Méliès & Segundo de Chomón: Early Cinematic Utopias
Georges Méliès and Segundo de Chomón are among the pioneers of cinematic journeys, using early film technology to transport viewers to imagined worlds. Méliès’ Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902) and Chomón’s Excursión a la Luna (1908) are considered landmarks of speculative journeys in cinema, using whimsical special effects to portray journeys to the moon as surreal and fantastical. These works symbolize the human impulse to explore beyond known limits, aligning the act of discovery with imagination itself.
Their films portray the moon as a fantastical realm, a space where scientific curiosity intersects with dreams and fantasy, and the works’ placement at the exhibition entrance aligns with Michel Foucault’s concept of “heterotopia”—spaces that simultaneously mirror and challenge reality. These works become metaphors for the way society projects its dreams onto distant, unreachable landscapes. By setting the stage for Utopian Journeys with these pieces, the curators frame the notion of exploration as both an escape and an exploration of the mind’s creative powers.
Andrés Pachón: The Mirage of Authenticity
In Dioramas (2012) and Magic Lantern (2016), Andrés Pachón deconstructs the notion of authenticity, critiquing how historical narratives have framed distant cultures through Western perspectives. His Dioramas series manipulates early ethnographic documentaries, revealing how “exotic” landscapes and their inhabitants were often framed to fit colonial or touristic narratives. Similarly, Magic Lantern deconstructs historical slides of the Holy Land, exposing how even sacred spaces have been shaped by external interpretations and cultural biases.
By unveiling the artifice within these visual “authenticities,” Pachón challenges viewers to question how landscapes—real or imagined—are shaped by historical power dynamics. His work aligns with Denis Cosgrove’s theory of the “iconography of landscape,” where landscapes are interpreted through cultural narratives that project particular values onto them. Pachón’s installations encourage a reconsideration of the power relations involved in creating utopian ideals, highlighting how these ideals are not value-neutral but are instead shaped by cultural frameworks that define and often limit our interactions with place.
Greta Alfaro: Decay and Utopian Failure
Greta Alfaro’s Decimocuarta estación (2019) reimagines Spain’s abandoned railway stations as poignant symbols of utopian failure. Her images reveal these spaces as both literal and metaphorical ruins, remnants of industrial optimism that have decayed into isolation and neglect. Drawing inspiration from the Stations of the Cross, Alfaro suggests that utopian journeys are often riddled with suffering and disillusionment. Through her haunting portrayals of abandoned infrastructure, Alfaro’s work evokes the cyclical nature of ambition and collapse, illustrating how utopian ideals are often intertwined with the seeds of their own failure.
Her focus on decayed infrastructure and the remnants of past progress speaks to Tim Cresswell’s concept of “place memory,” where landscapes retain traces of forgotten or unfulfilled ambitions. In the context of Utopian Journeys, Alfaro’s work underscores that even places once associated with connection and progress can become monuments to isolation and neglect, a reminder that every utopian dream carries within it the potential for dystopia.
Rogelio López Cuenca: Mapping Displacement
Rogelio López Cuenca’s No/W/here (1998) critiques the inequalities inherent in global movement through the metaphor of a subway map. His work challenges the assumption that movement is universally accessible, framing migration as a journey that is often defined by restrictions, exclusions, and barriers. By representing migration as a form of displacement rather than seamless movement, López Cuenca reveals the social and political forces that determine who can access utopian ideals and who cannot.
The work of López Cuenca also aligns with David Harvey’s critique of spatial inequality, highlighting how utopian ideals of freedom and mobility remain elusive for marginalized communities. His piece forces viewers to confront the reality that while utopian journeys may inspire visions of new possibilities, they are not universally accessible. Instead, these journeys often reinforce boundaries, creating geographies of privilege and exclusion that complicate the very notion of utopia.
Cristina De Middel: The Mythical Expedition
Cristina De Middel’s Jan Mayen (2015) is a satirical reconstruction of an Arctic expedition, blending fact with fantasy to critique the romanticism and absurdity of the “heroic” journey. Her staged photographs parody the romanticized notion of exploration, highlighting how these journeys are often driven as much by hubris as by discovery. By rendering her expedition as both playful and preposterous, De Middel challenges the idea of utopian exploration as inherently noble, suggesting instead that such journeys often reflect a self-centered desire to conquer or “know” an unknown space.
This piece ties into Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, as it critiques how “other” places are frequently represented as spaces to be claimed or defined through Western lenses. De Middel’s work becomes a reminder that the pursuit of utopia may at times reflect not just aspiration, but a failure to see the land or the journey for what they truly are. Her approach asks viewers to consider the cultural and ideological constructs that underpin our notions of exploration, suggesting that utopian journeys may sometimes be based more on myth than on reality.
Fernando Prats: The Sublime Landscape of the Antarctic
Fernando Prats’ work, particularly Hacia el polo sur and Gran Sur, exemplifies the “sublime” in geographical aesthetics through its engagement with the Antarctic environment. By using elements like wind, snow, and ice to shape his canvases, Prats positions the natural landscape as an active force in the creation of his art. His work suggests that certain places demand humility rather than conquest, asking viewers to see landscapes not as passive backdrops but as autonomous entities with the power to shape human perception.
Prats’ work speaks to Nigel Thrift’s non-representational theory, which emphasizes the affective and performative aspects of space over purely visual representation. In making the Antarctic landscape itself a co-creator, Prats challenges the colonial gaze that has often viewed remote landscapes as spaces to be subdued. His pieces align with the theme of Utopian Journeys by framing exploration not as an act of dominance but as one of reverence, suggesting that certain places can only be approached through respect and awe.
Joan Fontcuberta: The Cosmonaut as Utopian Explorer
In his Sputnik series, Joan Fontcuberta fabricates the narrative of Ivan Istochnikov, a Soviet cosmonaut who supposedly vanished in space. Through doctored photographs and fabricated documents, Fontcuberta blurs the lines between truth and fiction, presenting space exploration as both a remarkable achievement and a myth. The cosmonaut becomes a figure of utopia—a symbol of human aspiration who ventures beyond known boundaries in search of something greater. By intertwining reality with illusion, Fontcuberta critiques the construction of myths, reminding viewers that many utopian journeys are built on cultural narratives that blur the boundaries between fact and fiction.
Fontcuberta’s work can be seen through Roland Barthes’ mythologies, where certain symbols naturalize cultural ideologies and desires. By fictionalizing space exploration, Fontcuberta underscores the role of myth in utopian journeys, asking viewers to reflect on the stories they tell themselves about progress, possibility, and the unknown. His work prompts viewers to ask whether utopia is a place we can actually reach or a space we imagine as a reflection of our collective ideals.
Discussion
Beyond the individual artworks, this year’s theme is enriched through VISIONA/HU’s efforts to engage the public with Utopian Journeys via interactive elements such as conferences, guided tours, and workshops. These activities broadened the scope of the theme, allowing participants to engage with the exhibition’s ideas on a deeper level. A feature conference titled “El decálogo del viajero verniano” explored Jules Verne’s legacy in modern travel narratives, positioning him as a precursor to the imaginative journeys central to this exhibition.
Guided tours were crafted to invite participants to navigate the exhibition as if embarking on their own journey, mirroring the spirit of exploration and discovery. These tours, led by curators and knowledgeable guides, added layers of interpretation to each piece, revealing how each artist contributes to the larger conversation about utopia. The workshops, aimed at a younger audience, further expand VISIONA/HU’s reach, inviting future generations to engage critically with the concept of utopian journeys and to consider how their own experiences shape their vision of the future.
In the larger context of VISIONA/HU’s four-part cycle, this year’s theme represented a culmination that reflects the tensions between reality and imagination, individuality and collectivity, and personal desire and societal limitation. There is a striking interplay between this year’s artists and their chosen mediums. Fontcuberta’s fictional cosmonaut and Méliès’ fantastical film works reveal that journeys are often rooted in narrative as much as geography, while Alfaro’s decayed stations and Prats’ frozen canvases remind us of the fragility of utopian visions in the face of material reality. By juxtaposing these works, VISIONA/HU offers a multi-layered critique of the utopian impulse, asking viewers to consider what it means to imagine, pursue, and ultimately confront the limits of their own dreams.
At the same time, VISIONA/HU does not shy away from critiquing the commercial and ideological constructs tied to utopian ideals. Through installations like Fontcuberta’s Sputnik series and De Middel’s Jan Mayen, the exhibition reminds viewers of the ironies embedded in our aspirations for a better world. These works encourage a more reflective engagement, urging visitors to consider how the very idea of utopia may be shaped by the narratives that society chooses to highlight or obscure.
Conclusion
Utopian Journeys is a fitting culmination (maybe?) to VISIONA/HU’s thematic cycle on geography, identity, and movement. By bringing together diverse perspectives on the utopian impulse, the exhibition transforms the idea of a journey from mere exploration to an act of introspection, critique, and confrontation with societal limits. VISIONA/HU Huesca 2024 invites us to reconsider utopia not as a single destination but as a spectrum of possibilities, each dependent on cultural context and individual perspective.
As VISIONA/HU closes this four-year chapter, it leaves us with a series of questions: Where will the project take us next? Will future editions dive deeper into the intersections of reality and imagination, challenging us to confront the limitations of our collective aspirations? Or will VISIONA/HU turn its gaze toward grounded issues, re-examining depopulation, displacement, and environmental change through new lenses? How might VISIONA/HU address the pressing challenges of our time—climate change, migration, the digitization of memory, and the blurring lines between physical and virtual worlds?
As audiences departed from Utopian Journeys, perhaps they carried these questions with them. VISIONA/HU showed that its strength lies in its ability to adapt, rethink the boundaries of art, geography, and community engagement. As it charts a new course, VISIONA/HU will continue to be a space of exploration, pushing viewers to confront the shifting geographies of their own hopes and fears. In the end, the journey may not be about reaching a utopian destination but about staying curious, remaining open to new paths, and daring to imagine possibilities that lie beyond the known.
Langston Hughes’s The First Book of Rhythms, published in 1954 with illustrations by Robin King, invites readers to contemplate rhythm as a universal force connecting all aspects of existence. Though crafted in language accessible to young readers, this book carries a profound wisdom about the nature of rhythm, one that resonates across disciplines, cultures, and natural forms. Hughes presents rhythm as much more than a musical or poetic meter; it is an elemental pattern, a structure, and a flow that animates life itself.
The book opens by inviting readers to draw a line, curve, or wave—introducing rhythm as something that can be seen, felt, and created. Rhythm begins in the movement of a hand on paper, a direct experience that anchors Hughes’s conceptual exploration in the physical body. As the pencil flows, it mirrors the body’s motion, suggesting that rhythm is embodied, inseparable from the physical and sensory experiences of human life. This approach echoes phenomenological theories of perception, like those of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, where understanding arises through engagement with the world. Hughes does not define rhythm in abstract terms; he has readers feel it, subtly linking rhythm to the sensory and intuitive knowledge that grows through experience.
In his descriptions of plants stretching toward the sun, rivers carving through rock, and tides responding to lunar cycles, Hughes reveals rhythm as a structuring principle of nature itself. The book’s sections on “The Rhythms of Nature” and “This Wonderful World” evoke a Romantic vision, akin to Emerson and Wordsworth, who found in nature a living, dynamic order. Hughes captures this order without romanticizing it; rather, he observes rhythm as an empirical reality, an interconnected set of cycles and flows that shape the Earth’s landscapes, waters, and skies. Nature’s rhythms here are not static but dynamic, intertwining with human rhythms in a seamless dance of life. The ecological awareness Hughes instills is subtle but foundational, gesturing toward the later environmental perspectives of ecocriticism, in which nature is seen as a symbiotic system of interdependent rhythms.
Hughes moves fluidly from natural rhythms to cultural expressions, suggesting that human creativity—the rhythm of music, poetry, and dance—draws from the same wellspring as the rhythms of the earth. His chapters on music and dance demonstrate how rhythm becomes a language across cultures, from the drumbeats that echo through African traditions to the steps of Viennese waltzes and square dances. In these sections, Hughes implies that rhythm is not just a cultural artifact but a universal language, a thread that connects diverse traditions. His view resonates with the anthropological concept of mimesis, the imitation of nature in human art, and anticipates structuralist ideas where universal patterns underlie cultural expressions. In Hughes’s view, rhythm bridges the natural and the human, making creativity an extension of nature’s own order.
Hughes’s treatment of rhythm in work and everyday life shows a keen awareness of rhythm’s role in social and economic structures. In “Broken Rhythms” and “Machines,” he examines how rhythm coordinates labor, from the sweeping motions of a scythe to the synchronized rhythms of assembly lines. Hughes contrasts the unique, handcrafted rhythms of traditional labor with the mechanical repetition of industrial machines, subtly critiquing the way mechanized rhythms can flatten human individuality. His language suggests an almost Marxist critique, where industrial rhythms impose an unnatural order, one that distances workers from the natural variations of human labor. This view aligns with ideas of alienation, suggesting that the rhythm of industrial labor has profound effects on the human psyche, disrupting the personal, variable rhythms that characterize handcrafted work.
In “Athletics” and “Furniture,” Hughes considers rhythm in forms that may seem mundane but reveal a broader aesthetic philosophy. He writes of pitchers’ graceful arcs, chairs shaped for comfort, and furniture designed to reflect the rhythms of the body. These examples show Hughes’s understanding of rhythm as not only functional but beautiful, aligning with a modernist aesthetic where form follows function. In every detail, Hughes sees rhythm as a harmony between form and purpose, a principle that unites aesthetic beauty with practical design. The chairs, cups, and clothes become, in Hughes’s vision, everyday manifestations of rhythm’s pervasive influence.
Robin King’s illustrations enhance this sense of rhythmic unity with simple yet evocative forms—curves, spirals, and waves that echo the natural and human-made shapes Hughes describes. The images mirror Hughes’s language, capturing the fundamental forms of rhythm in visual terms. There is an elegance in their repetition and symmetry, and like Hughes’s text, they suggest a Bauhaus-inspired understanding of design as rooted in universal forms.
In the final chapters, Hughes turns to the abstract and unseen rhythms of modern science—radio waves, electromagnetic fields, and atomic patterns. He marvels at these invisible rhythms, linking them to the visible rhythms of nature and daily life. This perspective resonates with the theories of rhythms in modern physics, where vibrations and cycles underpin the smallest particles of matter. Hughes’s fascination with the “unseen rhythms” anticipates a world in which technology reveals dimensions of rhythm that were once hidden from view. This closing contemplation, grounded in the technological marvels of the 20th century, opens the book outward, connecting the most elemental rhythms of the human body with the vast, unseen rhythms of the universe.
The First Book of Rhythms is thus more than an exploration of rhythm; it is a poetic treatise on the interconnectivity of life, nature, and culture. By blending the rhythmic patterns of nature, the arts, and everyday objects, Hughes creates a vision of the world as a unified field of rhythmic interaction, one that crosses boundaries of time, space, and culture. In doing so, Hughes crafts a timeless meditation on the patterns that bind the world together, patterns that echo across scales and disciplines, from the grand cycles of the cosmos to the delicate touch of pencil on paper.
The meme “Meanwhile in Tobleronistan” represents a modern, internet-based brand of humor that uses absurdity and cultural references to generate laughter. By combining the iconic Swiss Toblerone chocolate with the suffix “stan,” commonly used in Central Asian country names, the meme taps into a set of recognizable symbols to create something light-hearted and amusing. However, while it appears to be simple fun at first glance, the use of “stan” in this context invites a deeper, critical analysis of how humor can sometimes unintentionally reflect or reinforce problematic stereotypes. This essay examines the cultural and political undertones behind the use of “-stan” in the meme, analyzing how humor intersects with geography, Orientalism, and Western perceptions of “otherness.”
1. The Function of Satire and Humor in Place Names
The meme’s fictional country, “Tobleronistan,” follows a long tradition of using made-up or distorted place names for comedic effect. This play on words creates an association between the triangular shape of Toblerone bars and the characteristics of a nation, poking fun at how modern branding often borders on the nationalistic. Just as countries take pride in national symbols—whether they be landmarks, national food items, or export products—Toblerone, with its ties to Switzerland, symbolizes Swiss craftsmanship and identity in the consumer imagination. By turning this product into a country, the meme highlights the absurdity of attaching national significance to a simple consumer good.
However, while this satirical transformation of a brand into a fictional country may seem innocent, the choice of the suffix “stan” brings up more problematic cultural undertones. The humor relies on the audience’s understanding that “stan” is associated with real countries in Central and South Asia. The fact that these countries, which include Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kazakhstan, are often misunderstood or stereotyped in Western media, suggests that the meme exploits this cultural association for laughs, trivializing both the complexity of these regions and the very real geopolitical realities they face.
2. The Use of “-stan” and the Reduction of Cultural Complexity
In Central Asian and Persian languages, “stan” means “land” or “place of.” Countries like Uzbekistan (land of the Uzbeks) and Kazakhstan (land of the Kazakhs) use this suffix to signify their people’s connection to the land, imbuing it with a sense of national pride and history. However, in much of the Western world, the “stan” suffix is often associated with a vague, homogenous region often depicted as distant, troubled, and exoticized. The use of “stan” in the meme strips the term of its cultural and historical significance, reducing it to an object of amusement.
By appending “stan” to “Toblerone,” the meme abstracts real places and peoples, turning the countries that use this suffix into a generic template for parody. This reflects a broader trend in Western media, where Central Asian countries are often homogenized into a singular, ill-defined “other”—a place of perceived backwardness or chaos. In this way, the meme can be seen as reinforcing stereotypes about these countries, reducing their unique histories and struggles into something trivial or insignificant.
3. Orientalism and the Exoticization of Non-Western Cultures
The casual use of “stan” for humor taps into a larger discourse of Orientalism, a concept famously explored by Edward Said. Orientalism describes how the West has historically portrayed Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures as exotic, backward, and uncivilized, in contrast to the supposedly advanced and rational West. In this framework, “stan” countries are often framed as mysterious, problematic regions whose cultures and politics are oversimplified for Western audiences. When a meme like “Tobleronistan” borrows the suffix for humor, it unconsciously draws from this tradition of depicting non-Western cultures as amusingly different or inferior.
The humor in the meme might not directly mock a specific Central Asian country, but the reference to “stan” draws on a collective understanding shaped by centuries of Orientalist thinking. The idea of a fictional place called “Tobleronistan” plays into the notion that countries with the “stan” suffix are obscure and ripe for satirization, positioning them as abstract or remote in the global imagination. As a result, it perpetuates a sense of “otherness” that diminishes the cultural complexity and sovereignty of real countries.
4. Memetic Representation and Stereotyping
Memes are powerful cultural tools that spread quickly and can convey complex ideas in simplified forms. The simplicity of the joke in “Tobleronistan” mirrors the way online cultures tend to reduce complex identities and cultures into digestible, often humorous, symbols. While the intention behind the meme may not be malicious, it reflects a broader trend of stereotyping in online spaces. Memes like this one contribute to a global narrative where certain countries and cultures are continually framed in reductive or comical terms.
Moreover, the use of humor as a vehicle for cultural commentary often relies on stereotypes for its punchline. Stereotypes about “stan” countries—ranging from perceptions of political instability to underdevelopment—are part of the cultural consciousness in the West. In this context, attaching “stan” to something absurd, like a Toblerone bar, plays into these existing preconceptions, reinforcing a narrative where these countries are not taken seriously in the global arena.
5. Conclusion: Harmless Fun or Unconscious Bias?
At first glance, the meme “Meanwhile in Tobleronistan” seems like a harmless bit of internet humor. It uses visual absurdity and wordplay to entertain, drawing on widely recognized symbols of both Swiss identity and Central Asian place names. However, a closer examination reveals that the casual use of “stan” in humor is not as innocent as it might appear. It reflects deeper trends in Western culture, where non-Western countries and their identities are often reduced to stereotypes and simplified for easy consumption.
The meme raises important questions about how humor can reinforce unconscious biases and perpetuate problematic representations of cultures that are already marginalized or misunderstood in global discourse. While the meme may be funny, it reminds us that even humor can have cultural and political implications, shaping the way we see the world and each other. Thus, it is crucial to approach such representations with a critical eye, recognizing the impact they can have on how entire regions and their peoples are perceived.
Kevin S. Fox’s “Zihuatanejo” connects the viewer to the pop culture reference from the film “The Shawshank Redemption.” This film, renowned for its exploration of hope, freedom, and redemption, uses Zihuatanejo—a small, idyllic fishing village on the Pacific coast of Mexico—as a symbol of ultimate freedom and peace, a place where the main character Andy Dufresne dreams of escaping to throughout the story.
In “The Shawshank Redemption,” Zihuatanejo represents more than just a geographical location; it embodies the idea of a personal paradise or a haven from the struggles and injustices of the world, especially the harsh reality of prison life that Andy endures. It’s where Andy envisions a life of freedom, far removed from the confines of Shawshank, and where he plans to start anew after his daring escape. This vision of Zihuatanejo fuels not only Andy’s hope but also inspires his friend Red, the film’s narrator, who grapples with his own concepts of hope and redemption throughout the film.
The minimalist map captures this essence by stripping away the complexities of a standard map, focusing instead on evoking the symbolism and emotional weight Zihuatanejo carries in the film. By presenting Zihuatanejo in such a manner, the map draws attention to its significance as more than a place but as a pivotal element in the narrative arc of hope and redemption. This artistic choice underscores the power of simplicity in conveying deep meanings and connections to broader themes and narratives in pop culture.
Critically, while the minimalist design effectively highlights Zihuatanejo’s symbolic importance, it might also obscure the rich cultural and geographical context of the actual location. For viewers unfamiliar with “The Shawshank Redemption” or the real Zihuatanejo, the map’s abstract nature may not provide enough information to fully appreciate the depth of its reference. Nevertheless, for fans of the film, the minimalist approach serves as a powerful reminder of the story’s emotional core, encapsulated in the dream of a peaceful life beyond the prison walls.
In conclusion, this is meant to be a thought-provoking piece that adeptly ties to “The Shawshank Redemption’s” themes of hope and freedom. It serves both as a homage to the film and as a creative exploration of how minimalism can capture and convey the essence of a place imbued with deep narrative significance.
The practice of using TikTok and Google Earth for virtual exploration, as seen in Natasha Gupta’s content, offers a novel approach to geographic engagement, particularly for younger audiences. The format taps into the aesthetics of social media, making geography visually appealing and relatable. However, it risks reducing the complexity of geography to superficial observations. In the process, geographic landscapes are reduced to binary judgments—”ugly” or “not ugly”—which may perpetuate a shallow understanding of place. This simplified perspective overlooks the deeper, often invisible, forces that shape our physical and human environments, including history, culture, politics, and economics.
For The GIEI, Gupta’s method poses both an opportunity and a challenge. On the positive side, her videos have sparked interest in geography by making it accessible and fun, opening up conversations about regions that may not receive much attention otherwise. By bringing millions of viewers into contact with places as varied as France, the Philippines, and Ohio, these explorations counteract cultural biases that often paint certain locations as undesirable or unworthy of study.
Yet, from a critical geographical perspective, the main drawback is the oversimplification of places into a visual binary, void of context. While aesthetic judgments are natural human reactions, reducing geography to what’s pleasing to the eye overlooks the multi-dimensional character of place. Geographers understand that landscapes are not just shaped by natural beauty but also by human intervention, history, economic forces, and the lived experiences of people. A “bland” roadside hotel, for instance, might tell a fascinating story about globalization, tourism, or urban sprawl that a quick, dismissive glance cannot capture.
Moreover, this TikTok practice relies on first impressions and instinctual reactions, which could reinforce stereotypes or misconceptions. For example, classifying an area based on weather conditions or architectural style risks perpetuating narrow views of regions, potentially overlooking the broader geographic significance of those areas. For geography educators, this raises important questions about the responsibility of digital content creators in shaping public perceptions of the world.
A more enriched version of this method, aligned with the goals of critical geography, would encourage viewers to dig deeper. Instead of focusing solely on visual aesthetics, users could explore questions like: What economic activities shape this landscape? What is the cultural or political significance of the place? How do migration patterns or historical events impact this environment? By incorporating these dimensions, the practice could become a powerful educational tool that fosters a more nuanced understanding of the world, even at its “ugliest.”
While Gupta’s TikTok practice of exploring the world via Google Earth provides an engaging starting point for geographic inquiry, it has limitations in fostering critical geographic thinking. The challenge lies in harnessing the popularity of such trends to encourage deeper engagement with geography—moving beyond surface-level judgments and towards a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial processes that shape our world.
For a lesson that engages with more critical ways of using Google Earth and TikTok, check out this idea on Asking the World.
Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s As Bestas (2022) is an atmospheric and tense exploration of isolation, belonging, and conflict, set against the rugged backdrop of rural Galicia, Spain. The film follows Antoine and Olga, a French couple who move to a depopulated village to pursue their dream of organic farming. However, their presence soon ignites deep-seated tensions with the local farmers, Xan and Lorenzo, leading to a dangerous confrontation. Through its masterful use of geography, language, and the theme of depopulation, As Bestas paints a complex portrait of a community grappling with its shrinking future and the arrival of outsiders.
Geographical Context: Rural Galicia as a Character
The rugged, remote landscapes of Galicia are not just a backdrop in As Bestas—they actively shape the film’s narrative. The film is set in a village that feels isolated, abandoned, and deeply connected to its physical environment. The mountains, dense forests, and winding roads create a sense of enclosure, intensifying the psychological tension between the characters.
The geography of the region mirrors the emotional and cultural isolation felt by the characters, particularly the locals who see their world shrinking due to depopulation. The land in Galicia has historically been tied to identity and survival, and in As Bestas, it becomes a battleground for control, belonging, and the future.
Depopulation: A Dying Way of Life
Depopulation is a central theme that defines the village’s sense of fragility and desperation. Like many rural regions in Spain, Galicia has experienced a significant loss of population, with younger generations leaving for cities and more prosperous regions. This exodus leaves behind older residents struggling to maintain their way of life. In As Bestas, this reality permeates the interactions between the characters, particularly the tension between the local farmers and the French couple.
The villagers’ attachment to the land is not merely economic; it is deeply emotional and cultural. For Xan and Lorenzo, the shrinking population represents the gradual erosion of their identity and their community’s way of life. The potential wind turbine project—one of the few economic opportunities available—becomes a symbol of this desperation. The local farmers view it as a lifeline, while Antoine, with his idealistic vision of sustainable farming, opposes it, seeing it as exploitation. This clash is more than a disagreement over land use; it is a reflection of the larger struggle to hold on to a disappearing world in the face of modern pressures.
The village’s dwindling population also amplifies the tension between locals and outsiders. In a community where each resident plays a vital role, the arrival of newcomers like Antoine and Olga is seen as a potential threat to the already fragile balance. The economic pressures brought on by depopulation create an atmosphere of territoriality and suspicion, as the remaining villagers become fiercely protective of their land and way of life.
Language: A Barrier and a Tool of Conflict
In As Bestas, the multilingualism of the characters—Spanish, Galician, and French—plays a significant role in shaping the film’s narrative and tension. Language acts as both a bridge and a barrier between the French couple and the local villagers. Antoine and Olga’s reliance on Spanish to communicate, while functional, marks them as outsiders in a community where Galician is the dominant language. Galician, more than just a language, is a marker of local identity and cultural continuity, and its use among the locals reinforces the couple’s sense of otherness.
The linguistic divide becomes even more pronounced in moments of conflict. Xan and Lorenzo often speak in Galician, particularly when tensions rise, as a way to assert their dominance and control over the conversation. For Antoine and Olga, this creates a sense of vulnerability, as they are unable to fully grasp the nuances and subtexts of the local language. Even though Antoine speaks Spanish, his accent and occasional struggles with fluency reinforce the divide between him and the locals, adding another layer of isolation.
This linguistic tension reflects the larger theme of miscommunication in the film. Language is not just a practical tool for dialogue but a symbol of deeper cultural and emotional divides. Antoine and Olga, despite their efforts to integrate into the community, are unable to fully understand or be understood by the villagers, and this lack of connection ultimately drives the story towards its tragic conclusion.
Isolation: Physical, Emotional, and Cultural
The isolation in As Bestas is both geographical and psychological. The village’s remote location, surrounded by mountains and forests, creates a physical barrier between the characters and the outside world. This physical isolation is mirrored in the emotional distance between the locals and the outsiders. For Antoine and Olga, the isolation is not just about geography; it is about their inability to break into the social and cultural world of the village. Despite their best intentions, they remain outsiders in a place where everyone else is deeply connected to the land and each other.
For the locals, this isolation is a source of both pride and pain. Xan and Lorenzo are fiercely protective of their territory, but they are also painfully aware of the village’s shrinking future. The isolation breeds a sense of defensiveness, as the villagers become increasingly wary of anything that threatens their control over their land and their way of life.
Conflict: Modernity vs. Tradition
At the heart of As Bestas is the conflict between modernity and tradition. Antoine and Olga represent a forward-looking vision of rural life, with their emphasis on sustainable farming and eco-tourism. However, this vision clashes with the villagers’ need for economic survival. The wind turbine project, seen by the locals as a necessary step towards securing their future, becomes the catalyst for the conflict.
This tension between modernity and tradition is not only economic but also cultural. Antoine and Olga’s idealism feels out of place in a community that is struggling with the realities of rural decline. The film suggests that even well-meaning efforts to “improve” a place can be seen as invasive when they come from outsiders who do not fully understand the local dynamics.
Conclusion: Geography, Language, and Depopulation as Catalysts for Tension
As Bestas is a powerful exploration of how geography, language, and depopulation shape human conflict and relationships. The remote landscapes of Galicia are not just a setting but a force that drives the characters’ actions and emotions. Depopulation, with its accompanying economic and social decline, creates a heightened sense of territoriality and fear, while the language barrier deepens the divide between the locals and the outsiders.
Through its rich portrayal of these themes, As Bestas offers a haunting look at the fragility of rural life in the face of modern pressures. The film’s tense, slow-burning narrative reveals the complexities of community, belonging, and the struggle to hold on to a way of life that is rapidly disappearing. In the end, As Bestas is not just a story of interpersonal conflict, but a meditation on the larger forces—geography, language, and depopulation—that shape the human experience in isolated, shrinking communities.
Spanish scholar Javier Cardeña Contreras does all the heavy lifting in this inaugural 13-theme speed round exploration of Quijote, Shawshank Redemption, Antonio Machado’s Caminante, La Casa de Papel, Bulls, Eddie Davies, El Madroño, Wild West films, La Zapatilla, Translation, Duncan Williamson, Almodovar, and what it means to have a “pueblo” in Spain—all the while weaving a personal essay about home and identity.
In Climate Thinking Change we speak with Dr. Lawrence Hamilton of the University of New Hampshire about the survey work he has done to get closer to American perceptions of the Arctic. This radio expedition is most interested in exploring to what extent our geographical knowledge of the Arctic impacts how we might think about this far north region in social, political and environmental contexts.
Poster Bear is the second part of a two-episode exploration of two polar bears—the one that travels along the ice and the other one that circulates in the media. Joining us is Dorothea Born, a Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholar from Mitteleuropa. Born’s work examines the polar bear as an icon for the visual communication of climate change in popular science magazines.
On expedition in Svalbard we encountered the circa 1930s cabin that pioneer female big game hunter and writer Wanny Wolstad lived in during five overwinters. Literature scholar Dr. Ingrid Urberg contextualizes Wolstad and her writings within the works of other „Svalbard Daughters“ whose narratives collectively challenged the overtly masculine storytelling about the Arctic landscape all the while asking us to reconsider how we imagine the polar north.
In Asking Svalbard we begin to move beyond generalization about the Arctic. By digging deeper we interrogate a place that might only exist on the fringes of our imaginations-Svalbard, Norway. Located in the Arctic Circle, this archipelago is home to over 2,500 people. Guiding us in this radio expedition is Rolf Stange , author of the top-selling guidebook for this country of the cold shores.
How does one prepare for an expedition to the Arctic North? In Don’t Feed the Bears we speak with Ann Christin Auestad, project manager at the Arctic Safety Centre to learn more about the different training available for risk management and planning for expeditions within the polar north. We also revisit with Patrick Schaudy (EPISODE TWO) to discuss his summer employment as a polar bear guard. What is that? Listen.
In Arctic Fever we embark on our multi-episode explorations of “The Arctic.” Joining us is historian Michael Robinson—creator, host and producer of Time to Eat the Dogs, a weekly podcast about science, history, and exploration. We discuss his book, The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture, unpack what it means to go on expedition and outline the impact Arctic explorers had on the American imagination of this polar region.
In EPISODE FIFTY TWO we track down Andy Merrifield, a well-published UK-based geographer who left academia in 2003 to do what he loves. We discuss his writings on William Bunge, Guy Debord, Henri Lefebvre and John Berger and engage in a wide-ranging conversation that explores the expedition, the amateur, walking with a donkey and the pilgrimages geographical imaginations.
Who is imagining the energy landscapes of the future? How are they doing it? Where? In what spaces? Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry, Founding Co-Directors of the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), discuss the global project that is giving artists, architects, landscape architects, and other creatives a space to propose sustainable energy infrastructures and imagine a low-carbon future.
Celebrating Geographical Imaginations: Radio Expeditions into the Geographies of Everything and Nothing’s 50th episode we revisit the concept for the show and take a look back at all of the different questions, themes and collaborators that brought us here to this point over four years later. If you are a new listener, this is a great departure point as each and every radio expedition is highlighted and summarized.
For the opener of Season Five, we are joined by Phil Cousineau, the award-winning author of The Art of Pilgrimage. In a wide-ranging “long conversation” we discuss how to make travel meaningful and sacred. Along the way we unpack the tourist gaze and consider how mentors and words can open pathways to finding the pilgrim’s mood.
In EPISODE FORTY EIGHT we are joined again by geographer Johnny Finn (from EPISODE THIRTY TWO). Rounding out our three-episode on-the-ground fieldwork series on the crocodile-shaped island of Cuba, we discuss health care, Fidel, José Martí, memorialization, béisbol and literacy.
In our second episode from fieldwork in Cuba we sit down with “Song Maker” Enid Rosales and discuss her two albums (Brisa Pasajera and Dentro de Mí), her listeners in Cuba and beyond, the Nueva Trova genre, the Buena Vista Social Club effect, Celia Cruz and what it means to be an “hacedora de canciones.”
With EPISODE FORTY SIX we start a series of episodes made while conducting fieldwork in Cuba in Spring 2018. In Puentes we sit down with don Jose Poveda–poet, philosopher, man of letters and of faith–in this wide ranging discussion of his poetry, travel from Cuba to Russia, and his work as interpreter to Russian technical advisers working in Cuban industry. This episode is in Spanish.
In Geographies of Everything we have the great pleasure of sitting down with world renowned academic geographer Dr. Yi-Fu Tuan. In the first part of this two-episode series we explore space, place, offices, Madison (Wisconsin), film, deserts and much more with this intellectual pioneer of humanist geography. Tuan is noted for bringing together philosophy and geography and his work blazed the trail for our show.
In EPISODE FORTY THREE we continue with our two-part Summer Reading Series and finish our review of John Kirtland Wright’s 1946 Presidential Address Association of American Geographers. In this canonical text, Wright outlines his ideas for geosophy . How was this address received by his colleagues? What would the study of geosophy look like? Professor John L. Allen joins us to explore these questions- and others -It’s our first major exploration of this key text.
In EPISODE FORTY TWO we start our two-episode Summer Reading Series with a reading and discussion of John Kirtland Wright’s1946 Association of American Geographers (AAG) Presidential Address where he outlines his ideas for geosophy. The word is a compound of ‘geo’ (Greek for earth) and ‘sophia’ (Greek for wisdom). It is the study of geographical knowledge from any or all points of view. Joining us is Dr. Geoffrey Martin, leading Geography historian and AAG Archivist to help put this canonical text in context.
In DARchitecture we discuss architectural heritage in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Joining us for an episode-long conversation is Aida Mulokozi, CEO of the Dar es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage (DARCH). We walk through the process of urban heritage preservation in the context of rapid urban growth; we explore the politics of memory in Dar’s post-colonial present; and learn more about the vital work DARCH is doing to tell the story of Dar es Salaam to both locals and new arrivals alike.
In EPISODE FORTY we are on field assignment exploring the multi-species geographies of, perhaps, the most iconic safari game drive in the world. We report on site from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, learning some basic Swahili (Safari means “trip”) and seeing a range of animals we had never seen before outside of a zoo or a documentary. We have plenty of fun copying and/or poking fun at nature documentary style reportage.
In EPISODE THIRTY-NINE we set out and explore “Dar City Geographies” with urban geographer Dr. Sarah Smiley from Kent State University. This “urban safari” provokes discussions of the legacy of historical segregation policies on the urban landscape; the improvements made to the transport infrastructure in this rapidly growing, soon-to-be mega-city; and what residents in different zones have to do to access water across Dar es Salaam.
In “Piece by Piece,” we sit down with Rukia Hatibu, aka The Annoyin’ Artist, to discuss the importance of making public our ideas, stories and “pieces.” It is not enough to ask questions about who we are. What is vital is having an actual place to do it. Her evening forum helps showcase different voices and provides a space for personal poetic development. As if that was not enough, Rukia also discusses her new initiative, AIDIM, that seeks to bring out this same development in school children.
“Zanzibar, or the Last Reason,” translated from the German, “Sansibar oder der letzte Grund,” is a novel by Alfred Andersch where one of the protagonists (a boy) daydreams the far away Zanzibar from his small hometown in Germany. Maybe a bad case of fernweh, this island in his mind is actually located in the Indian Ocean, but it is less a concrete goal than the utopian place of a better future. Water temperature: 30 degrees Celcius.
In “La Arquitecta” we explore the resonance of spaces and the social aspects of urban design with German-born architect Chris Heidrich. The show returns to Havana, Cuba (see EPISODE 32) to raise questions about who designs and shapes the city. Heidrich is planning to bring an exhibition about women architects from Cuba to Europe in celebration of the 500 year anniversary of this capital city.
We finish our summer reading of C.C. Long’s “Home Geography” in EPISODE THIRTY FIVE. Lessons 33 through 45 round out this primer for developing our own geographical imaginations. Long reminds us, “All around are illustrations of lake and river, upland and lowland, slope and valley. These forms must be actually observed by the pupil, mental pictures obtained, in order that he may be enabled to build up in his mind other mental pictures of similar unseen forms.”
In EPISODE THIRTY FOUR we pick up from where we left off in C.C. Long’s classic text, “Home Geography for Primary Grades.” Starting with Lesson 18, “How Rivers Are Made,” and finishing with Lesson 32, “Useful Plants,” Long continues to impress upon us the need “to study that small part of the earth’s surface lying just at our doors.” Read along and design your own local expeditions.
Welcome to our inaugural summer reading series. Listen to EPISODE THIRTY THREE as we explore C.C. Long’s 1894 classic primary school text. In “Home Geography,” Dr. Long tells us, “A knowledge of the home must be obtained by direct observation; of the rest of the world, through the imagination assisted by information. Ideas acquired by direct observation form a basis for imagining those things which are distant and unknown.”
What comes to mind when someone says, “CUBA?” Classic automobiles, Buena Vista, Che? Maybe you envision a socialist utopia? Or a maybe a communist dystopia? In EPISODE THIRTY TWO we invite geographer Johnny Finn to discuss US American geographical imaginations of this large Caribbean island and unpack the various narratives that inform how we arrive to Cuba in our minds.
In EPISODE THIRTY ONE we use statistics to bring the world closer to home and to inform how we think about our place within the milieu. Forget about trying to understand 7.5 billion people. What if the world was a village of 100–each member of that community representing 1% of the world population? Joining us is Lisa Frank of the 100 People Foundation as we talk about statistics and the impact they have on the geographical imagination.
In Dances with Bees we venture to the shores of Wolfgangsee to visit the apiary of Nobel Prize winner Karl von Frisch to see first-hand and explore how honeybees communicate their geographical (i.e. spatial) knowledge through dance. Joining us are Professors Jürgen Tautz and Randolf Menzel of Germany who have dedicated their scientific lives to better understanding spatial memory and navigation.
In A Great American Pilgrimage we walk 3500 kilometers from Maine to Georgia in the Eastern woods of the United States traversing the ridge-line of the oldest mountains in the world, the Appalachians. Join Sonia “Chulapa” Ibáñez and Kevin “Cow’s Head” Fox as they meet America face-to-face. We will look at what it means to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and discuss this “other side of America.” Joining us are Harpo, Delta and the Big Galoot.
In Auf Deutsch Bitte we explore linguistic borrowings from German. Joining the show in conversation are Salzburg locals and Sprachgefüle Marie Damisch and Daniel Url. We discuss the word-concepts Weltanshauung,Heimat, Weltansichten and Welträtsel amongst others. Inevitably we come back to the question: how much does language shape our understanding of the world? Listen and broaden your geographical imagination here in Central Europe and/or beyond.
In EPISODE TWENTY SEVEN we explore alternatives to the conventional world map and question how much this standard image of the world frames and limits our own imaginations of the globe. We speak with Julia Mia Stirnemann about her World Map Generator, an online tool designed to help de-center the way we think about the conventional cartographic representations of the world.
In EPISODE TWENTY SIX we set up a pub-style quiz game for you to play at home with your friends and family. Many of us have had our geographical imaginations informed by geographical information that comes from atlases and encyclopedias. Have you ever watched Jeopardy! or played Trivial Pursuit? Do your best on these Geography Olympiad questions.
In Psychogeography 101 we discuss contemporary urban exploration practices with cultural theorist and psychogeographer Tina Richardson. After tracing back to the mid-twentieth century work of the Situationist International, we outline what doing psychogeography looks like today and how it could—and should—be part of the practice of anyone seeking a better understanding of their own geographical imagination.
In EPISODE TWENTY FOUR, Countries & Capitals, we seek to increase our geographic literacy by reviewing country names (in the order of most to least populated) while locating each within its region and naming its capital city. At the same time we also critique the very same geographical imagination this limited view of geography constructs in our minds. Test your skills by following along with this map.
Maps are ubiquitous in today’s world. Our geographical imaginations are both expanded and limited by their form. But, what is a map? Roughly 25 years ago academic geographers began to seriously question their taken-for-granted history. Rogue map deconstructionist Denis Wood explores with us Google Maps, critical cartography, the geo-body, Winnie the Pooh and North Carolina.
Does a city have its own song? A hum and beat that makes it unique? Join us on this short expedition to record the soundscape produced by the everyday interactions of people and place in Old Town Salzburg. With microphone in hand we drift through the narrow streets and lanes capturing a different kind of music and consider a different way of thinking about our sensory experience of place.
In EPISODE TWENTY ONE, Seeing Heimat Through a Lens, we discuss the power of photography to shape and frame sentiments and ideas about place-based national and regional identities in 1930s Austria. Art historian Dr. Elizabeth Cronin of the New York Public Library guides us back to this key moment in the construction of a contemporary Austrianness rooted in tradition and the rural on the one hand, yet striving to be modern and urban on the other.
In EPISODE TWENTY, Sitting Near Borges, we look at the geographical imagination of the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. We visit a park bench in Cambridge, Massachusetts in order to conjure up the spirit of his writings and discuss Borgesian “thought experiments” with literature scholar Bill Richardson of the National University of Ireland, Galway. Photo taken along the Rhône River in Geneva, Switzerland.
In the show’s 19th episode we test locals on their knowledge of the country of Paraguay while locating their own geographical imaginations along the way. We also invite two of the three Paraguayans living in Salzburg, the musicians Francisco González and Raúl Rolón, to share traditional Paraguayan music and discuss–in English, Spanish and Jopará–cultural geographical mixing between Paraguay and Austria.
In Pedagogy of the Compressed we venture through different spaces of teaching and learning with Dr. Rich Heyman of the University of Texas and ride upcycled bicycles through northern California with Seth Dow, Andy Knox, Hannah Halvorsen and Brandon Herhusky of Sugar Bowl Academy. In this time-space compressed world what does it mean to be “doing” geography and how can our methodology, or the how, be more important than the what?
In EPISODE SEVENTEEN we start here in Salzburg with the statue of St. Vergil, an 8th century Irish monk who believed the world was round and then travel out to terra incognita in a leather boat with another Irish saint, Brendan the Navigator. It is the Voyage of St. Brendan, a popular medieval religious narrative, that we focus on and explore how different readings of this text produce different geographical imaginations. Contributors include Dr. Paul Pearson, Dr. Clara Strijbosch and Dr. Jon Mackley.
In Making Heritage we venture out to explore 3 Austrian cultural heritage sites: the historic city center of Salzburg, the Hallstatt-Dachstein Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape, and the Viennese Coffee House. Listen as we dialogue with scholars Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett and Marilena Vecco about what it means to be on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the nature of producing heritage and the developments leading up to increased recognition of “intangible” cultural sites.
Does the City of Salzburg have rhythm? Or rhythms, plural? How do we access it? Or them? In EPISODE FIFTEEN we explore the concept of rhythmanalysis with Dr. Reena Tiwari and examine how communities can better imagine the geographies in which they live by unpacking the rhythms that make up those spaces. The Salzburg Rhythmanalysis Project is officially announced and citizen-rhythmanalysts are called to participate.
In EPISODE FOURTEEN we look at how Alpine folk culture has made it into global popular culture on the back of the Krampus. In a conversation with local cultural historian Christoph Schwaiger we look at both the Krampus of yesteryear and the one you might catch “running” the streets now during St. Nicholas celebrations in central Europe. This is a look at the many geographies produced by an anthropomorphic goat-man.
In EPISODE THIRTEEN we join Bärbel Hartje of the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts to investigate the connections between theoretical framing, the cityscape and walking. We discuss the evolution of the Summer Academy’s Exploring Salzburgprogram and how the ever-popular City Walks introduce participants from around the world to some of the structures of the City of Salzburg.
Celebrating a year of radio-making from inside the incubator of Studio B at Radio Fabrik, in EPISODE TWELVE we discuss with Program Coordinator Eva Schmidhuber the historical geography of this collectively-owned community radio station in Salzburg. We review the first season of episodes and plan ahead as Geographical Imaginations grows wings.
The Untersberg Mountain dominates the landscape visible to the south of the City of Salzburg and captures the popular geographical imagination through the legends and myths surrounding it. Come walk up and around this sacred mountain and explore its cultural geographies with Dr. Veronica della Dora, Rainer Limpöck, Matthias Gruber and Eva Krallinger.
The Almkanal is an extensive canal system that runs through the City of Salzburg. In EPISODE TEN we speak with the Almmeister Wolfgang Peter and the Alm Gatekeeper Kurt Klappacher to learn more about the social, political and economic geographies of this nearly 1000 year old institution. And we take a swim because it has been a very hot summer.
We discuss rhythm and cities with Soundpainting creator and composer Walter Thompson in this first installment of our Portraits of Rhythmanalysts inspired by Henri Lefebvre’s collection of essays entitled, “Rhythmanalysis: Space, Time and Everyday Life.” Thompson discusses connections between the everyday and his artistic practice.
In EPISODE EIGHT we sit back and listen to the Far and Away travel stories from two long distance expeditions. Christoph Rehageshares lessons learned from the road while walking from Beijing back to his home in Germany. Philipp Schaudy describes the changes in both the human and natural landscapes during a 5 1/2 year cycling journey around the globe with his wife, Valeska.
In EPISODE SEVEN we look at how three communities deal differently with their shadowed pasts and “unwanted heritage.” We visit post-USSR Budapest and their communist era monuments at Memento Park, Adolf Hitler’s birthplace in Braunau, Upper Austria, and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and this campus’ commemoration and memorialization of the Ku Klux Klan.
Join us and walk in both Maria von Trapp’s and Julie Andrew’s footsteps as we tour Salzburg as seen in the 1965 film classic The Sound of Music. Veteran tour guide Peter Baron von Werteim of Bob’s Special Tours discusses the deep inner experience of many of the tour guests. Helping us to bring the geography to this iconic film, cultural geographer Joseph Palis makes links between our tour and current research in film tourism.
How much have the broadcasts of the Winter Olympics and other world-class winter events informed how viewers from around the world imagine the Alps? In EPISODE FIVE we take a closer look at the geographies of world-class bobsled and skeleton and speak with geographer Dr. Christopher Gaffney about the politics of Host City selection for the Winter Olympics.
Have you ever wanted to map your own city? What would you include? What stories would your map tell? In EPISODE FOUR we join Eva Krallinger and Matthias Gruber on the streets of Salzburg and in Studio B at Radio Fabrik to discuss their alternative city guide mapping project, “Fraeulein Flora’s Favourite Hangouts” where they bring Salzburg’s Little Stories to life.
Ask your town or city a question. German artist Birte Endrejat joins us to discuss her collaboration with the art collective “mark” here in Salzburg where they encouraged Salzburgers to ask the city a question. Our dialogue moves then to explore Birte’s own artistic practices as they relate to the understanding and development of a spatial consciousness or geographical imagination.
Peepholes allow us to see what’s on the other side. Renate Langenfelder and Deborah Gatewood to see the world „out there“ in EPISODE TWO the Salzburg Panorama and Cosmorama exhibition with art historians. In the second half photographer Patrick Schaudy explains pinhole photography.
In the show’s first episode, Geographical Imagination with geographers Doreen Massey (Emeritus Professor of Geography at Open University), Veronica Della Dora (Professor of Geography at Royal Holloway) and Jessey Gilley (PhD, Geography, University of Kansas ). The host, Kevin S. Fox , is outlined the trajectory of the show’s future episodes.
In EPISODE FORTY we take the show to Serengeti National Park and try our hand at media coverage of big game drives. We call the episode “Safari Njema,” or Good Travels in Swahili. This episode will first broadcast on March 24th at 7:06 PM. Stay tuned!
UPDATE: Geographical Imaginations is busy putting together episodes for the next few months. As always, we are engaged with a wide range of subject matter. Join us for one of our radio expeditions into the everything and nothing. Stay tuned in March and April for explorations of the Safari in Serengeti National Park and Dar es Salaam’s architectural history. As part of our summer reading series (May/June) we read and place into context J.K. Wright’s 1946 Association of American Geographers’ Presidential Address with his introduction to the concept of geosophy. Later in the summer we will broadcast a 2-part interview with Yi Fu Tuan, a giant in 20th-century academic geography and a huge influence on this show.
“Geographical Imaginations: Radio Expeditions into the Geographies of Everything and Nothing” is back this weekend with its monthly installment of explorations all-things-geography (or, geography of all things?). We call EPISODE THIRTY-NINE Dar City Geographies. Joining us is geographer Dr. Sarah Smiley from Kent State University who discusses a wide range of themes all related to the Tanzanian super-city, Dar es Salaam. We discuss the legacy of historical segregation policies on the urban landscape; the improvements made to the transport infrastructure in this rapidly growing city; and how different it is for residents to fetch water across the different districts of this city. Check us out this Saturday (Feb. 24) at 9:06 PM (Dar es Salaam), 7:06 PM (Madrid), and 1:06 PM (New York)at Radio Fabrik. As always, all episodes are uploaded to the website archive after initial broadcast. Look for EPISODE THIRTY NINE here.
In “Piece by Piece,” we sit down with Rukia Hatibu, aka The Annoyin’ Artist, to discuss the importance of making public our ideas, stories and “pieces.” It is not enough to ask questions about who we are. What is vital is having an actual place to do it. Her evening forum helps showcase different voices and provides a space for personal poetic development. As if that was not enough, Rukia also discusses her new initiative, AIDIM, that seeks to bring out this same development in school children. (Photo by Sonia Ibáñez)
This episode first airs from Radio Fabrik in Salzburg, Austria on Saturday, January 27 at 7:06 PM local time.
EPISODE THIRTY SEVEN marks the beginning of Season Four and our first show from Tanzania in East Africa. This episode first airs from Radio Fabrik in Salzburg, Austria on Saturday, December 23 at 7:06 PM local time.
“Zanzibar, or the Last Reason,” translated from the German, “Sansibar oder der letzte Grund,” is a novel by Alfred Andersch where one of the protagonists (a boy) daydreams the far away Zanzibar from his small hometown in Germany. Maybe a bad case of fernweh, this island in his mind is actually located in the Indian Ocean, but it is less a concrete goal than the utopian place of a better future. Water temperature: 30 degrees Celcius. (Photo by Sonia Ibáñez)
Special thanks to Julia Mia Stirnemann from EPISODE TWENTY SEVEN for sharing the book title and, in the end, helping frame this radio expedition. Danke!
In “La Arquitecta” we explore the resonance of spaces and (other) feminist perspectives on urban design with German-born architect Chris Heidrich. The show returns to Cuba (see EPISODE 32) to raise questions about who designs the city. Heidrich discusses her current project, Female Architects in the Urban Renewal of Old Havana, and reveals some of her own process in interpreting spaces. EPISODE THIRTY SIX marks the end of Season 3 and the close, for now, of the Mitteleuropa explorations. This episode will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik on October 28th at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York). Photo by Mileyra Pavel.
Karibu Tanzania! Geographical Imaginations has arrived and is looking for ideas and collaborators for its 4th season of radio expeditions into the everything and nothing. Watch our first presentation in Dar es Salaam here. Contact us if you are interested!
We finish our summer reading of C.C. Long’s “Home Geography” in EPISODE THIRTY FIVE. Lessons 33 through 45 round out this primer for developing our own geographical imaginations. Long reminds us, “All around are illustrations of lake and river, upland and lowland, slope and valley. These forms must be actually observed by the pupil, mental pictures obtained, in order that he may be enabled to build up in his mind other mental pictures of similar unseen forms.” This episode will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik on September 23rd at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York).
Geographical Imaginations (G.I.) will make its first public presentation in Dar es Salaam at Pecha Kucha Nights Vol. 14 on September 14, 2017 at Triniti Bar. Come listen to our ideas for transitioning the G.I. project from Salzburg, Austria to Tanzania.
In EPISODE THIRTY FOUR we pick up from where we left off in C.C. Long’s classic text, “Home Geography for Primary Grades.” Starting with Lesson 18, “How Rivers Are Made,” and finishing with Lesson 32, “Useful Plants,” Long continues to impress upon us the need “to study that small part of the earth’s surface lying just at our doors.” Read along and design your own local expeditions. This episode will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik on August 26th at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York).
Welcome to our inaugural summer reading series. Listen to EPISODE THIRTY THREE as we explore C.C. Long’s 1894 classic primary school text. In “Home Geography,” Dr. Long tells us, “A knowledge of the home must be obtained by direct observation; of the rest of the world, through the imagination assisted by information. Ideas acquired by direct observation form a basis for imagining those things which are distant and unknown.” This episode will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik on July 22nd at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York).
What comes to mind when someone says, “CUBA?” Classic automobiles, Buena Vista, Che? Maybe you envision a socialist utopia with free, universal healthcare and education? Or a maybe a communist dystopia with all of its problems? In EPISODE THIRTY TWO we invite geographer Johnny Finn to discuss US American geographical imaginations of this large Caribbean island and unpack the various narratives that inform how we arrive to Cuba in our minds. This episode will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik on June 24th at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York). (Photo by Johnny Finn)
In EPISODE THIRTY ONE we use statistics to bring the world closer to home and to inform how we think about our place within the milieu. Forget about trying to understand 7.5 billion people. What if the world was a village of 100–each member of that community representing 1% of the world population? Joining us is Lisa Frank of the 100 People Foundation as we talk about statistics and the impact they have on the geographical imagination. This episode will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik on May 27th at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York).
Took the train Saturday to Solothurn, Switzerland for their Pecha Kucha Night #3. I got carried away and presented 3 different projects: Geographical Imaginations, The CAMINANTE Project and The Great American Pilgrimage (Appalachian Trail). Great hosts and quite the Kulturnacht in this great Swiss town outside of Zurich. Thanks again to all!
EPISODE THIRTY airs Saturday, April 22 at 7:06 PM Salzburg time. We call this one, “Dances with Bees.” Listen to and/or stream from Radio Fabrik (www.radiofabrik.at). We will explore the role of local Nobel Prize winner Karl von Frisch in decoding how honeybees remember and communicate spatial information. Joining us are Professors Jürgen Tautz and Randolf Menzel. Dare to listen!
Stay tuned for EPISODE TWENTY NINE. We call it “A Great American Pilgrimage.” This episode will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik (www.radiofabrik.at) on March 25th at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York). We will look at what it means to thru-hike the 3500 km Appalachian Trail and discuss this “other side of America.” Dare to listen!
Stay tuned for EPISODE TWENTY EIGHT. We call it Auf Deutsch Bitte. This episode will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik (www.radiofabrik.at) on February 25th at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York). Joining us are Salzburg locals and Sprachgefühle Marie Damisch and Daniel Url. We explore the word-concepts Weltanschauung, Heimat, Weltansichten and Welträtsel amongst others that may or may not broaden your geographical imagination here in Central Europe and/or beyond. Dare to listen!
Stay tuned for EPISODE TWENTY SEVEN. “Unconventional Worldmaps, Unconventional Worldviews” will broadcast first from Radio Fabrik on January 28th at 7:06 PM Salzburg time (1:06 PM New York). In this radio expedition we speak with Julia Mia Stirnemann about her World Map Generator, an online tool designed to help de-center the way we think about the conventional cartographic representations of the world. After the initial broadcast look for the episode in the archives at https://www.geographicalimaginations.org/episodes/.
Kevin S. Fox, host and producer of Geographical Imaginations, was recently honored by Pecha Kucha Nights as Pecha Kucha Person of the Week. Have you heard of PKN? Check them out. Chances are there is an event organized in your city or region. Great way to share projects and ideas in a vibrant forum. Who said the 21st century public forum was dead?
In EPISODE TWENTY FOUR, Countries & Capitals, we seek to increase our geographic literacy by reviewing country names (in the order of most to least populated) while locating each within its region and naming its capital city. At the same time we also critique the very same geographical imagination this limited view of geography constructs in our minds. Test your skills by following along with this map.
Maps are ubiquitous in today’s world. Our geographical imaginations are both expanded and limited by this “communication of geographical knowledge” (maybe an attempt at a definition?). But, what is a map? Academic geographers in North America and Western Europe started to seriously question their taken-for-granted history roughly 25 years ago with the publication of papers, essays and books by Denis Wood and J. Brian Harley. Join us for an episode-long conversation with Denis Wood as we explore Google Maps, critical cartography, the geo-body, Winnie the Pooh and Boylan Heights in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The episode first broadcasts on Radio Fabrik at 7:06 PM Salzburg, Austria time and 1:06 PM New York on the 4th Saturday of the month. Check us out this Saturday, September 24th to hear our latest work. As always, you can find the podcast posted later on the website at https://www.geographicalimaginations.org/episodes/.
