Joshua Davis + Jemma Hostetler: MapMaker
December 2002 / January 2003
Joshua Davis + Jemma Hostetler: MapMaker
Created with generative algorithms, MapMaker by Joshua Davis and Jemma Hostetler infinitely produces randomly shifting topographies comprising land, bodies of water, political boundaries, and data layers, remapping the world in endless variations. Corporate logos—Pr[tm] and ps[3]—intrude upon these abstract geographies, laying claim to the imaginary landscapes on the map. They hint at the tension between public space and branded dominance, as territories are redrawn not only by nature but also by commerce. Generating an ever-evolving, abstract graphic of blue lines, yellowish green land, and gray dots functioning as corporate markers, MapMaker invites viewers to contemplate the different ways, from geographic to economic, in which territories are shaped, divided, and united.
Joshua Davis (b. 1971; San Diego, California) is a designer, technologist, author, and visual artist in new media. He is best known as the creator of praystation.com, winner of the Prix Ars Electronica 2001 Golden Nica for Net Vision / Net Excellence. He was an early adopter of open-source software, offering the source code of the praystation.com composition and animation developments to the public. His work was featured in the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum’s 2006 National Design Triennial, and he has spoken at TED and Adobe 99U conferences about his career in algorithmic image making and open-source software.
Jemma Hostetler (b. 1972; Bridgeport, Connecticut) is an artist and designer working in mediums ranging from print to interactive. Her work, including her site prate.com, has been featured in numerous reviews and books and was nominated in the art category of the 2002 New York Flash Film Festival. Hostetler has presented her work worldwide and has served as a judge for HOW magazine’s Interactive Design Awards and AIGA, the professional association for design, and has been a panelist at festivals such as South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive and TypeCon.
Gate Pages
Every month from March 2001 to February 2006, the Whitney invited an artist or collective to present their work in the form of a “Gate Page” on artport. Each page was meant to function as a portal to the artist’s own sites and projects. The Gate Pages comprise a range of artistic approaches to the format—while some of them are designed as entry points to the respective artist’s website or promote a recently launched work, others take the form of a more complex stand-alone project.
Wherever necessary and possible, these works are made functional through emulation and reconstructions from the Internet Archive. Not all of them have been restored to their original state and their conservation is ongoing. You can also view the original Gate Pages archive to see how they were presented at the time of their creation.
artport
View more on artport, the Whitney Museum's portal to Internet and new media art.