Ethereal Cartography by Mr Everyday
October 18th, 2008 4:17 AMObviously, this is not going to be generalized Natsukashisa, like you would get at a Victorian theme park, or whatever. Rather it is specifically my personal sense of Natsukashisa.
I decided that I would map it using 4 different colours to designate varying strengths of Natsukashisa. No colour is base level, NO Natsukashisa. Green is the lowest level of actual Natsukashisa followed by Yellow, Orange, and Strongest of all, Pink. For the final map I was considering resetting the scale (because of how much solid pink there would be), but in the end I decided against it.
The interesting part of this exercise from my point of view was that it made me really examine the places and things which cause Natsukashisa in me, and why. The deciding on relative strenghts made it even more interesting and challenging... How do you measure it exactly.
Also, the causes of Natsukashisa. It's interesting that some places I interact with daily often don't have such a strong value, simply because it's the present form I think of when I'm there. Others have many overlaying states, some of which possess Natsukashisa. Finally there are places glimpsed once, which never the less evoke GREAT Natsukashisa due to particular memories or associations...
I'm afraid that the pictures for this praxis are a bit budget. I couldn't think of a more elegant way to upload the information than printing out the maps, applying colour, and then photographing the coloured maps... Mea Culpa.
I think I may try to (physically) stitch the maps together into something I can hang on my wall, but that's a job for a future time...
Map 1
Map 1, Fernhill (Where I currently live, in a house that's been in the family 30 years), and the main part of Queenstown.
Map 2
Map 2, Queenstown and the two roads out of town.
Map 3
Map 3 - The township of Frankton and the Kawarau and Shotover rivers.
Map 4
Map 4 - Lake Johnson to the ladies mile - including Tuckers beach.
Map 5
Map 5 - Lake Hayes
Map 6
Map 6 - The northern part of lake Hayes.
20 vote(s)
Optical Dave
1
Dax Tran-Caffee
1
Morte
3
Pip Estrelle
3
Dopey
3
rongo rongo
1
Amanda Esque
3
Jennifer Juniper
1
praximity
1
Kid A
2
Loki
2
Anna Louise
1
Charlie Fish
2
Augustus deCorbeau
3
susy derkins
3
artmouse
3
Palindromedary
3
Placid Dingo
4
Waldo Cheerio
5
Sir Pinkleton
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(none yet)13 comment(s)
Deciding carefully on the lines and boundaries was 90% of the fun of this task.
Nostalgia CAN be painful memories, or at least bitter sweet, but it can also mean reminiscing about good times long ago, through the rosy haze of long ago. Old folk going on about how much better things were in their youth are indulging in nostalgia.
In fact, THAT kind of nostalgia is much closer to the concept of natsukashisa. You look at something like the school you used to attend, and say "natsukashii naaa...". Or you look at kids playing the same sort of games you used to, but now don't (which is more a bitter sweet thing I guess)... Anyway, I can't quite put my finger on the difference, but I FEEL it.
words are by far the weakest way to express emotions. i love the map, was recently introduced to google maps and on there you can create your own map. you can put markers and place descriptions on them aswell as create highlighted areas so you can have 1 map and be able to zoom in/out add areas as they become a new part of your life. it would be amazing if we could make an SF0 map with everyone marking places that meant something to them, and have some sort of rating scale(the most difficult part). excellent job, very inspiring.
I both agree and disagree about words and emotions. The thing you come to realize when learning / teaching languages is the extent to which language, and KNOWING the words actually influences how you perceive the emotions. I truly couldn't tell you if I felt Natsukashisa until I had the concept and the word for it...
But then, at the same time, you come across words which just so clearly express an emotion (or more often description of the world) which is just so obvious, but which you have never been able to express in your own language. Like "Genki" for example. The average time of vocabulary uptake in a newcomer to Japan is about 2 days. Of course then we butcher it by making "Genk" the noun ("You look full of genk today").
Regarding the maps, I couldn't figure out how to save them in order to colour them using paint or whatever - printing them out really was the easy way to do this one... Google maps really do rock though, and are a lifesaver in Japan with the whole lack of street names etc...
This is a lovely Chrononautic Exxon take on EquivalenZ.
I hadn't thought of it in quite that way, but you're right... It always makes me laugh the extent to which nearly all my tasks become either Psychogeographical (as this one also did), or Chrononautic in nature...
Even the Fishing for ducks. If you look on map one you will see a large pink section on a peninsula - THAT is the park where the "fishing" took place, SUCH a nostalgia trip. Also the psychogeography of the gardens.... Nearly all my local tasking takes place in areas that show (or would show) either pink or orange on these maps. Even my tasking in Japan (as Absurdum) took place in an area that would show pink and orange.
"Nearly all my local tasking takes place in areas that show (or would show) either pink or orange on these maps."
This fascinates me.
Thank you, Mr Everyday!
なつかしい〜！Lovely idea and execution. I agree with you about the word being untranslatable. Bittersweet is close though.
Hmmm, you see I would argue that it's further from bittersweet than straight nostalgia, though it can be that too (especially as regards "school" in the Japanese (and my personal) context).
It's actually a fairly common place name in commonwealth countries (and for all I know the states too). The "ladies mile" is a dead straight piece of road, of about a mile in length (ours is actually about 1.4 miles). The idea was that it was straight enough, and flat enough, to allow ladies to drive it's length secure in the knowledge they wouldn't make mistakes...
Sheeesh, I will be offended weren't it so funny.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
but that's a job for a future time...
Oh? Really? The future is now, baby. Please get on this!
I like how the lines and boundaries have all kinds of details, no blobs at all.
I must have an equivalent map in my head but I had never thought about it.