A City in Maps: de Young Residency
This is the beginning of an ongoing project about the centennial of the PPIE. The original map of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition reveals a distinct world view; reflecting an optimism and sense of authority that could only have existed in 1915. Looking at the titles of the buildings on the original map shows how complicated our history is, and further research into the original ideas and products showcased there only adds to the complexity.
On February 21st, 2015 I started creating my own version of this map, painting the titles of buildings by hand at a Community Day celebration of the fair at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Alongside me, I had a large list of the building titles and I invited people to add descriptions next to the building titles of what they thought the buildings would be showcasing if the fair were to happen again today. I will continue getting descriptions from participants and will begin adding them to the hand-painted map in an additional layer of white text.