The Invention and Re-Invention of Space

Representations of space become space itself.  We see the world through our maps;
what we map and how we map it have a profound impact on how we navigate the mental
structure we call "reality".  Art is, to some extent, an examination of our current
assumptions and beliefs about space.  How we map and navigate our mental and
physical environments determines the nature of the reality we live in.

The following links show a sampling of varied representations of space.  While it's
tempting to see these all as representations of an unchanging, solid, "real",
three-dimensional space, we have to remember that the idea of describing space as
having three numerical dimensions is a relatively new invention.



Byzantine Icons (8th-9th century)




Giotto: pre renaissance (1300)
                



Renaissance and Baroque space in painting




Masaccio: Early Linear Perspective (1400s)
                



Albrecht Durer: Perspective Device (1400s)




Cartesian Coordinate System (1600s)




El Greco (1600)




Robert Delaunay (1900)




Paul Klee (1900)




Earthrise over Moon -- the earth compressed, seen from the outside (1960




Google Earth -- the earth expanded, seen as an intimate tactile surface

Taiwan by Any Other Name...