'settlement'? or invasion

BACKGROUND This work extends my ongoing research into the role of mapping in shaping landscapes of extraction in Latrobe Valley, Australia. It offers new interpretations of historical landscape transformations and the maps which documented them, to which landscape architects and other spatial practitioners might respond. Drawing on the work of Denis Wood, James Corner and Laura Kurgan, it engages with interactions between maps, ideological frameworks and socio-political dynamics during processes of resource extraction, to establish critical cartographic methods appropriate to designing for post-extraction landscape conditions. CONTRIBUTION This work makes contributions on various levels. By recomposing existing historical maps, it reveals narratives of landscape transformation which challenge those offered by the original artefacts. It demonstrates techniques of semiotic manipulation through a printed map, curated sequencing and audio through an animation, and invites the audience to re-compose a selection of primary maps in a participatory component. The work contributes to landscape architectural discourse by articulating techniques and frameworks with which landscape architects can work productively in extraction landscapes and communities. It also contributes to greater community understanding of the complexities of extraction landscape transformations, enabling greater agency in processes of decision making during economic transitions. SIGNIFICANCE The work was presented at QUT Art Museum, a premier visual art institution in Queensland, Australia. It was commissioned for inclusion in the “Thinking into Being: QUT Alumni Triennial” by a curatorium including representatives from the QUT School of Design and School of Architecture & Built Environment. Dr. Shannon Satherley and Associate Professor Janice Rieger authored a catalogue essay about the work, and in a review of the exhibition published by ‘The Review Board’ the piece was described as a ‘highlight’.