Project web site and
linker software download:

www.mongrelx.org/Project/Linker/

Clark / DA2 Digital Bursary 1999 :

Mongrel - Invisible Geographies

Harwood, Mervin Jarman, Richard Pierre Davis and Matsuko Yokokoji

Exhibition and Workshops at Watershed
8 - 31 October 1999

Invisible Geographies is a multimedia installation which consists of large projections of four alternative digital maps of the city of Bristol, containing images, sound and text. Artists group Mongrel, in collaboration with local artists and residents have produced the four digital maps which explore the insider/outsider role of visitors to Bristol and illustrate Mongrel's growing involvement with the city and the people they met.

The maps are multi-layered views of the city beginning with a conventional map of Bristol which can be further explored to reveal hidden histories, personal readings of the city, demographics of class, race and gender and disregarded stories.

To produce these multi-layered views of the city Mongrel have created 'Linker', their own free, custom-made software, which links the different media of images, text, video and sound together and which anyone can use. 'Linker' enables users to make work with the sophistication of very complex and expensive software such as 'Director' but instead of a complex structure 'Linker' has an easy drag and drop structure.

Invisible Geographies is presented as two networked installations at Watershed Media Centre in Bristol and the ICA in London. Viewers in each city can explore the Mongrel maps and are also invited to add their own comments, locating themselves within either city.

With 'Linker' Mongrel seek to put an end to huge software applications and create something that can be played with like a disposable camera, it's there to be used, abused and passed on. In an adjacent room to the installation visitors will be able to use the software themselves to create new maps. This is very much a space in which content is will be made and processes of working will be explored. The software will also be freely available to download from the web site.

The Clark DA2 Digital Bursary is a joint initiative between the J.A. Clark Trust, DA2, Watershed Media Centre and University of the West of England.