Heath Bunting, The Status Project

The Map Of Normality

Status Project, Heath Bunting

Cornerhouse, Manchester (cafe)

29 September - 21 November 2010

Outline:

The Status Project.

Our identity is constructed as human beings, that

can possess one or more natural persons (straw men)

and control one or more artificial persons (corporations).

Lower class human beings possess one severely reduced natural

person and no control of an artificial person.

Middle class human beings possess one natural person and perhaps

control one artificial person.

Upper class human beings possess multiple natural persons and

control numerous artificial persons with skillful

separation and interplay.

The status project is surveying these class systems of

human being management and is producing maps of influence

and personal portraits for both comprehension and

mobility.

The status project is also considering the border between

ascendant private supported blood hierarchies such as facebook

and descendant public owned infrastructure such as the world wide web.

Heath Bunting was asked to create a 'map of normality' for the AND festival. The map consists of data drawn from governmental databases and the internet, making a vast number of connections between class, status, personal information etc. Bunting's map making does not end here. As I researched further into his work, I realised the relevance this had to the current project: STATIC. I was more interested in his 'Maps of Influence' and his 'Portraits.' Buntings maps of influence relate to a spectrum of subjects including:a terrorist map of influence, a woman map of influence, a man map of influence, being normal map of influence, a christian map of influence etc. The maps take into consideration a series of detailed criteria, for example in the woman map of influence i.e state of residence, a mother, a daughter, in receipt of child benefit, presence of a human head, torso etc. The maps are extremely intricate and are quite beautiful as pieces of info-graphics. The sense of tedious research and investigation comes through in the cross- hatching of lines and grids. Bunting has also created a 'Portraits' series

For my journal last year, I decided to map out my influences in terms of projects, which ended up like a timeline of influences and how different things interconnected and related to eachother. Initially I wanted to create map where I took everything in my life into account, considering that my life influences my design work and vice versa. I still want to pursue this idea. When thinking out static I came to realise that static could be interpreted as interruption or interferance, what happens if we interfere with influence?I wanted to create a map of my influence, including any interruptions in my life and how this has shaped me to be who I am today. I have also been looking at interferance with process, eventually I would like to combine these two outlets, essentially interfering with my influences using process.

Bunting has also created 'Portraits based around the idea that any reflection of the self is incomplete without consideration of the outside world. The status portraits represent the self in terms of its relationship to the united kingdom. My approach would probably be more emotional rather than technical, and this would be reflected in the presentation of information.

Map of Normality

Map Of Influence

Portraits

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