Glenn Smith typed:
>I don't really understand why such a conversation is going on on this list
>but i guess the only art and ideas i can see are those of the geographer
>Jovan Cvijic who played such a crucial part in legitimizing serbia and
>consequently Yugolslavian claims on Macedonia through his maps of 1906,
>1909, 1913 and 1918, all of which were celebrated at the peace conference at
>the time. However, like most things in life he was a little bit biased and
>so the story becomes written and drawn as fact with all the messes that this
>has created. The final boundaries agreed at paris refelct the power poltics
>in the region in the first half of the century as interpreted and promoted
>by a geographer, his maps and ideas. Not any natural devolopment of
>identities or rightful claims to land. Just drawings and ideas.
>
>Now any chance for some artistic discussion ???
Interesting post, Glenn.
It can be argued that we are now re-mapping Jugoslavia through different
media. To restrict myself to just one aspect, television portayals of the
terrain of Jugoslavia:
- Notice how the graphical maps of the war zone for the TV news bulletins
(pick any Western channel) gradually re-define the various borders of
Jugoslavia and its constituent Republics? In contrast to the maps we saw at
the start of the war, now we see Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro highlighted
with separate borders. The fact that Kosovo is a province of Serbia, or
that Serbia and Montenegro are both part of Jugoslavia is rearely
referenced. What does this say about the shifting perceptions from our
media (and by extension our governing elites) about the strategy for
resolution of this war? How long before we see Vojvodina similarly
"cantonised" or "Balkanised" through computer graphics?
- The proliferation of satellite images and cameras on the moses of "smart"
bombs are reenforcing the clinical, detached view of warfare and carnage
that we became familiar with in the Gulf war. This aerial view is
re-mapping our consciousness of war and its object, the gaining of
territory. It also makes great advertising for Raytheon, the manufacturers
of Tomahawk cruise missiles and coincidentally no doubt, sponsors of the US
Democrats and UK Labour Party election campaigns.
Chris Byrne
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