Uncertain Space ( Self Directed Project Synophosis )

Uncertain Space ( Self Directed Project Synophosis )

Continuing my explorations into the relationships into uncertain time and space, I came across an article on the artist Gerhard Richter were he talked about the series of aerial paintings of German cities he painted during the 1960’s. Richter commented that aerial photography had set up a new paradigm shift in the depiction of space not seen since the Renaissance. Although the first successfully photographs of this novel airborne point of view where taken by Nader in 1858, when he photographed Paris from balloon. It was not until after WWII that they became widely available.

This made me think of the equivalent in our digital age. It struck me that the Google Earth project may be a similar paradigm. In 2005 Google launched it’s 3D interface to the planet. Google Earth’s digital simulation of the globe is a ‘mosaic’ of millions of photographs pieced together. The images are obtained by a satellite called Quick bird, constantly orbiting earth with 7 years of fuel on board. Lower flying planes are also used. The program enables users to view the earth at multiple scales, to zoom in and out. You can survey earth from outer space or see the roof of your own house. The architectural theorist and historian ,Vittorio Di Palma describes this zoom aspect in an essay on the phenomenon of Google Earth:

‘The zoom when conjoined with the aerial view unites different scales into a seamless flow bringing the atomic and the planetary into correspondence. Objectification and flattening are intrinsic characteristics of the aerial view; these are also intrinsic qualities of images. They undermine our awareness of the zooms artificiality and engender a visual experience that mimics the continuous flow of human vision itself The zoom destroys space and time , reducing questions of place to figures of speed ‘

(Vittorio Di Palma, Intimate Metropolis, Constructing Public and Private in the Modern City, Routledge New York, 2008. P263)

I have identified two main paths of enquiry. Firstly the pictorial depiction of this change of perspective acknowledging that the resulting painted images are from photographs of modeled simulations using in turn satellite photography as their raw material. This inevitably raises questions on the reality of the image and it's  painterly depiction.

At present Google Earth may be mainly used for a sort of virtual tourism with unrestricted access to any spot on the globe. It is this 'voyeurism' which  interests me.The access into places otherwise denied, the courtyard of the Pentagon the forecourt of the Kremlin, the exercise yard of Mountjoy Prison or places I may never visit like the top of the ski jump at the Winter Olympics.

The other concern is the acknowledgment that this simulative world is in its infancy. Embedded in Google Earth are layers of information ranging from locations of good hotels, through to crime statistics and accounts of eye-witness sightings of extra terrestrials. I’m interested in the possible future ameliorative as well the nefarious aspects of this second world.

Possible projections for further work may revolve around collaging different times and places. The creation of my own artificial landscapes. The use of stop animation to depict the ‘zoom effect’.



Paul Doherty


ACCS Year 3 (2010)