There are over 200 countries and 1.9million cities in this world. Some of people cannot travel far for various reasons. Most of us would not be able to travel to too many cities in our lifetime.
Maps are one of the most essential tools for navigation. But what happens if we use the wrong map? For instance, what if I used a map of Chicago to navigate London? This project explores the tension between subjective perception and spatial cognition by merging maps with sensory experiences.
I began by conducting a survey, gathering over 600 responses from people around the world about their impressions of their local environments, including the sounds and smells that define them. Next, I invited a dozen participants to choose a street in their neighborhood and record the sounds of walking along it. These recordings were then linked to their respective cities' maps. By overlaying these maps onto London’s map—my home city—I marked the corresponding streets in London. Finally, I visited these streets in London, documenting what I saw while playing the recorded sounds from the other cities.
This experimental dialogue probes several questions: What cognitive dissonance or new associations emerge when sensory memories (like sounds or smells) from elsewhere redefine familiar spaces? How do people in different parts of the world use sensory experiences to construct unique impressions of their cities? In an increasingly globalized world, how can individual urban experiences be mapped onto someone else’s local context?
By challenging the traditional function of maps as purely navigational tools, this project reimagines maps as sensory media—capable of connecting diverse experiences and reinterpreting the spaces we inhabit.
Click here to watch the video
Maps are one of the most essential tools for navigation. But what happens if we use the wrong map? For instance, what if I used a map of Chicago to navigate London? This project explores the tension between subjective perception and spatial cognition by merging maps with sensory experiences.
I began by conducting a survey, gathering over 600 responses from people around the world about their impressions of their local environments, including the sounds and smells that define them. Next, I invited a dozen participants to choose a street in their neighborhood and record the sounds of walking along it. These recordings were then linked to their respective cities' maps. By overlaying these maps onto London’s map—my home city—I marked the corresponding streets in London. Finally, I visited these streets in London, documenting what I saw while playing the recorded sounds from the other cities.
This experimental dialogue probes several questions: What cognitive dissonance or new associations emerge when sensory memories (like sounds or smells) from elsewhere redefine familiar spaces? How do people in different parts of the world use sensory experiences to construct unique impressions of their cities? In an increasingly globalized world, how can individual urban experiences be mapped onto someone else’s local context?
By challenging the traditional function of maps as purely navigational tools, this project reimagines maps as sensory media—capable of connecting diverse experiences and reinterpreting the spaces we inhabit.
Click here to watch the video