mapping on holiday
I live in a Eryri (= land of the Eagles or Snowdonia in English) that experiences millions of visitors a year, many of them now ‘adventure tourists’, coming here with ever larger cars bristling with canoes and bikes and mountain equipment. They arrive at the holiday homes around us late on a friday night, and by early the next morning, they’ve disappeared off to conquer. At the end of their stay, the bins are overflowing with uneaten supermarket food that they had brought with them. There is something very ‘unstill’ about this practice, bordering on extractive. Exploitative even. I think it this imperial attitude damaging these places, which are becoming overvisited, culturally, socially, environmentally. I have become very uneasy about this practice. I have tried to address it in a few of my projects, and it has made me mindful of my own holidays. So I thought I’d bring it altogether into one page, partly to clarify my thoughts, and also just in case its of interest to others…..
Digging Down Pop Up
Part of my Digging Down project was to host some pop up meals, open to anyone who is interested.
One night, a group of 4 lads (from Scotland, London, Norfolk and Newcastle) came along who were staying at the holiday home next door. Instead of disappearing off to Zip World, they ended up staying all weekend in the house, without going anywhere else, exploring this place. They said this was a direct consequence of coming to Digging Down, which had opened them to place-based historical, cultural, social, geological and environmental insights, that then held them here.
As part of my O Fa ‘Ma i Fa ‘Ma, A People’s Map of Llandudno, project, I tried ways of bringing personal and historical narratives to those who visit, creating a series of walking routes to follow. One hotel has been promoting these to their residents, saying it was just what they were looking for, to deepen their residents’ experience of Llandudno. The online maps are interactive, enabling those using them to see, hear and read about people’s insights, stories and ideas. They include:
Monuments and memorials in Llandudno with Wanda Zyborska
Find the Centre of Llandudno based on people’s nominations
Phil Smith’s Misguided Wander in Llandudno
Walks Exploring a Place in Transition
Hanes Llanddynes, Llandudno through the stories of women
Elemental walks on or in the shadow of the Orme
Four Streets of Inbetween from the Google Centre of Llandudno, with Stan-the-Man (who is a dog)
Interstitial Spaces
Psychological Maps of Llandudno
So what of my own holiday-ing?
I’ve been trying to use different forms of ‘mapping’ while on holiday, to see if I can get below the surface of a place while just visiting… Here are some blogs that describe a bit more about it.