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"Kartentisch" An Architektur/FFM Using up-to-date cartographic representation, the Kartentisch ("Map Table") as an exhibition contribution by the architectural collective “An Architektur” exemplifies how different images of migration in Europe can be traced and who is involved in this image production. The map of Europe and the information design associated with it, which are used to represent the border-crossing movements of migration, are involved at several levels in producing and imagining a closed European space. The map precedes the territory, which is first constructed by being defined, named and described. Even the selection of information thus determines the way the map speaks of migration: the mapping of the "main paths of infiltration" by the weekly magazine, “Der Spiegel” depicts migration to Europe as a scenario of criminal danger. Flows of money as transfers back to the country of origin, on the other hand, make migration appear as a system of economic cycles. When maps by “Migreurope” and “Le Monde Diplomatique” show refugee camps and death traps in the European system of border control and deportation – migration here means no legal rights and an endangered life. Graphical elements additionally support this argumentation. Vectors make migration appear as depersonalized forces and not as an effect of socio-political or economic connections. Pie diagrams on the maps from the IOM (International Organisation for Migration) show migration as a management task. Yet, when Europe is represented as a formation of natural spatial barriers, such as mountain ranges and rivers, which legitimizes the border as a natural given, the maps reiterate the historical rhetoric of “nation-states”. However, if we start from a purely intentional use of maps, then they are also suitable for critical investigations. |
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