Mapping the Unmappable: A Journey Through Digital and Ecological Terrains
At Duke Kunshan University’s Humanities Research Center, a dynamic cohort of pioneering minds gathered for the “Entangled Cartographies” conference. Set against the backdrop of the digital age, the conference unveiled a multilayered dialogue on mapping the uncharted territories of our constantly shifting world.
Navigating New Horizons
On November 6-7, 2025, the walls of the IB Lecture Hall echoed with conversations about charting digital, ecological, and social terrains. Renowned keynote speaker Boris Debackere from V2_Lab set the stage, showcasing the transformative power of interactive art and technology. His vivid imagery of evolving artistic landscapes resonated deeply, as artists unveiled projects that transcended traditional mediums.
The Intersection of History and Futurism
Victoria Szabo’s exploration of XR and AR technologies inspired a leap into Lovecraftian realms, challenging attendees to envision immersive cartographies that speak through sound and visual experiences. Her collaborative venture, “Visualizing Lovecraft’s Providence,” promised to redefine how we perceive the intersection of history and digital innovation.
Evoking Emotion Through Storytelling
In a conference session steeped in human emotion, Daniela Torres Medina transported participants to a Shanghai museum, narrating the powerful tales held within aged passports and documents. These objects served as vessels of memory, reminding us that beneath layers of data lies an intrinsic, human connection.
Bridging Art, Eco-Consciousness, and Resistance
Collaborative presentations, such as Zhiyuan Ma’s integration of the arts with local narratives, infused cultural identities into modern cartographic expressions. Ionat Zurr’s dialogue on bio-art challenged definitions of life, crafting maps derived from biological experimentation. Meanwhile, Qianying (Yelena) Ye’s concept of “cuerpo-territorio” wove an intricate tapestry linking ecological resistance with the female physique.
Rethinking Cartographies: Nomadic Intelligence
In an innovative leap, my discourse on “Nomadic Intelligence as Distributed Sentience in Central Asia” explored a living form of mapping, pieced together through oral histories and animal partnerships. This counter-mapping mirrored the conference’s essence—a call for maps that are constantly evolving, seen through diverse perspectives, and grounded in wisdom.
In essence, the “Entangled Cartographies” conference left us devoid of any conclusive maps. Instead, it gifted us a kaleidoscope of inquiries and the realization that understanding our vital territories relies on many eyes observing, all at once. As stated in Sites@Duke Express, these are the narratives that craft our contemporary understanding of what maps can and should be.
