Counter-mapping for Narrative and Multimedia Storytelling

Post-event Report:

On 22nd of October 2022, the online workshop entitled Counter-mapping for Narrative and Multimedia Storytelling, organized by Anti-Eviction Mapping Project (AEMP) and the Countermapping Network PH, was held from 8:30 AM to 12 NN (PHT). Focusing on multimedia narrative mapping, the workshop tackled the use of digital and analog mapping tools, the moral and ethical imperatives in narrative mapping and social justice, and best practices in data stewardship and curation. The guest speakers were Bianca Ceralvo, Luis Trujillo, and Ciera Dudley of AEMP. The  workshop highlights the applications of geospatial tools and mapping methods that facilitate the collaborative exposition of the struggles and experiences of local communities in the face of urban transformations, the risks of disasters, and the precarity of living in marginal or contested spaces. 

The workshop began with the opening remarks by Prof. Ma. Simeona Martinez, followed by the introduction, description, and rundown of multiple AEMP projects based in many locations in the United States. A Padlet link was shared with participants where they can write about their thoughts, expectations, or feelings about the workshop. The speakers discussed certain tools and technologies used for counter-mapping and the pros, cons, and current issues surrounding them, as well as the things to keep in mind regarding mapping projects which include the audience access and reach, information and organization handling, and message or story conveyance of mapping projects. After these presentations, a Q&A session was conducted preceding a break. During this time, the participants were asked to fill out a Google Sheet of the lost places of significance in the Philippines which included the place name, coordinates, description, and link to media. The participants were then assigned into three groups, each group facilitated by one speaker and student volunteers of the Digital Cartography class, for a short hands-on activity using Story Map JS using the collected data from the sheet. 

Story Map JS is a free tool that can be used to tell stories using maps. One can use media in combination with text to tell stories on each location that will be marked on the map. Required elements in making a story map through this application are the headline, the location of the place you want to map (i.e. its geographical coordinates), any accompanying media—image, video, or audio—and text to convey details and other information. In exploring the map after all changes have been saved, the first place to appear would be the first to be added in the map, and then followed by subsequent places added. In this way, the viewer would be able to ‘follow’ the narrative that the author wants to convey. Here is an example of an entry from the workshop:

By clicking the red icon in the map, a slide displaying the details of the place mapped will appear as shown in the image. There are also options for the base map if one wants to change the appearance of their story map. From the presentations and the short hands-on activity, participants generated a map of the lost places of significance in the Philippines based on local knowledge and/or personal experience. During the hands-on activity, some of the participants also shared their countermapping initiatives, complementing the topics that were presented by the speakers. Finally, another Q&A session was held to wrap up the event.

As student organizers of the workshop, we see our experience as challenging yet insightful. Although the workload was divided equally among the class, the needed effort at every step of the arrangement of the workshop is not minimal. Each team has dedicated a considerable amount of time to ensure the completion of the tasks before, during, and after the workshop. But despite these challenges, we still appreciated the essence of the workshop that we organized. Through the workshop, we were able to deepen our knowledge of critical cartography. Specifically, we learned further about the capability of maps to narrate stories and resist dispossessions, the collaborative yet controversial nature of counter-mapping, and the specifics of data curation and stewardship (in the context of counter-mapping). Moreover, also through the workshop, we became of help in sharing about what counter-mapping is with other people. Overall, the experience was truly fulfilling.

- John Paul Golingan, Paulo Dajao, Dan Basquinas (Geog 197 Digital Cartography Students)