Wandering Wondering — A Subjective Cartography

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Project Brief: Creating a publication about Kfarhata, a village in the North of Lebanon.

The only way to write about a place is to visit it and experience it. While walking through the main street, I remember being repeatedly drawn to one observation: the contrast between the two sides of the street.

The left side had a lot of old homes and a plethora of greenery, plants, and trees. Since they were relatively close to the main road, the scene was crowded texture-wise. The vast empty sky could not be seen, but rather the organic textures created by the leaves, grass, tree barks, and brick walls danced harmoniously through one's lens. The color palette was related to plants and the color of walls, therefore it was vibrant and alive. The left side represented the traditional Lebanese village with its greenery, coziness, and liveliness.

On the other hand, the right side was more of an open space which overlooked the far and layered valleys underneath. Due to the distance of the landscape elements, a lot of the sky was seen. The supermarkets and stores with their modern build occupied the scene occasionally. This made the visual shapes more geometric, flat, and solid, with a mute and minimal texture. This was complemented by the very soft and subdued colors. This side reminded me of the modern city life slowly entering and making itself present in this village.

Interested in the observation, I created this publication which portrays my wandering and wondering throughout the main street, comparing the two sides. In it, I mapped the visual textures of each side by linking each texture to a pattern. I then used the colors and text to illustrate my experience walking along that main street.

So it is a subjective cartography of the main street.

images from the trip

Process:(process pictures at the end)

01. Recording a video/taking pictures of each side

02. Translating visual textures into patterns —objective mapping/cartography

03. Translating the colors and feel through water color —subjective

04. Writing my observations, what I saw, heart, touched, smelled, and felt —subjective

The watercolor medium helps with the sensitivity and expression, and the colors were chosen based on the images.

Typography was used in certain places to visually complement the content.

The text also includes observations from all senses, for example sound "Only the leaves rustle".

"The more you look, the more you see, the more intricate the dance seems to be."

The right side is more mute and silent, which explains the sudden shift in colors and textures.

After comparing the traditional side of the village and the more modern side, the publication concludes with Kfarhata having the ability, resources, and elements to to choose and be the village it wants to be.