This project was to map the Southbank precinct in order to allow others to see it in a unique way. 

 

Situationist theorist Guy Debord once stated that to subvert the predictable way in which we interact with an environment, one must “set aside all work and leisure activities and all their other usual motives for movement and action, and let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there.” However as our design team were students who studied in the Southbank precinct, we decided we needed a less biased view, one unfamiliar with the landscape. Thus lead to the idea of using dogs; what better way to map the boredom, excitement, sound and smell of a terrain, than with the natural senses and instincts of dogs.

 

We chose three dogs, Lucy, Geoffy and Bindi, to conduct this reinterpretation of the landscape. With the same start and end point, we allowed the dogs to wander at their leisure through the parklands, mapping their routes, distractions and general experience of the landscape and atmosphere. Combining this information together, we were able to create a single map which interpreted the space from a dog’s point of view. This map doesn’t follow traditional “bird’s eye view” mapping practises, but rather conveys the experience as a single linear journey, using only landmarks to provide any sense of location. To allow for a more convincing "dog experience", we added comments according to what the dog was doing at the time and created a simple colour palette chosen from the limited spectrum that a dog is able to see.

 

Designed in collaboration with Jack Hallahan, Claudia Lui and Alicia Peet.