SUBJECTIVE EDITIONS

Subjective atlases are bottom-up cartographic publications mapping a country, region or city by the inhabitants themselves

Subjective Atlases are bottom-up cartographic publications mapping a country, region or city by the inhabitants themselves. Subjective Editions is the publishing platform that develops participative production processes and distributes these engaged publications. We support communities in mapping their environments from the inside out, starting from a place-based understanding, and grounded in lived experiences.

Method
We work on the basis of invitations by local partners with whom we co-develop a mapping trajectory. Over several workshops, inhabitants of a place are invited to participate in the mapping process by creating a visual representation of what that region personally means to them. Together with the local partner we coordinate the editing, designing, printing, publishing and distribution process of their edition of the Subjective Atlas.

Impact
The project offers a platform for collective visual dialogue to challenge social, political and cultural circumstances of our day to day realities. The bottom-up approach questions dominant ways of representing territories and demystifies map-making itself. It is an exploration of the individual in relation to the collective, the subjective in relation to the apparently objective, the personal in relation to the political. This is an emotional geography of lived experiences that opens up political scopes, and contributes to a more pluralistic and sensitive territorial identification.

History
The concept of a subjective atlas was developed during a workshop by designer Annelys de Vet in 2003, where she invited Estonian design students to map the EU from their perspective. The following year she engaged her students at the Design Academy Eindhoven to map The Netherlands from their experience. Soon after invitations came from international partners (like Kitchen Budapest in Hungary, or the University of Karachi in Pakistan) to collectively develop similar atlases of their geographies. In 2018, Kurt Vanbelleghem and Annelys de Vet joined forces and set up their own publishing platform to spread their efforts in sensitising our worlds through subjective cartographies.

Organisation
Subjective Editions is registered as a Belgian non-profit organisation (vzw), with our office in Lokeren, studio in Sint Pieters Leeuw and a team operating internationally. For each atlas we work with local partners and international distributors. Our organisation consists of Annelys de Vet (founder & editor-in-chief), Hugo Herrera Tóbon (designer & curator) and Kurt Vanbelleghem (producer & publisher) .

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF LUXEMBOURG

Subjective Editions 2019, 196 pages, English. Editing & Curating: Véronique Kesseler, Lucie Majerus, Giacomo Piovan & Annelys de Vet. Introduction: Anne Schaaf

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF PAKISTAN

Subjective Editions 2018, 208 pages, English. Editing & Curating: Taqi Shaheen & Annelys de Vet. Introduction: Kamila Shamsie

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF BRUSSELS

Subjective Editions 2018, 192 pages, English. Editor in chief: Annelys de Vet. Editorial team: Petra van Brabandt, Margrit Coppé, Lisemarie van Loon (intern), Erika Sprey. Introduction: Melat Gebeyaw Nigussie

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF COLOMBIA

(Semana Libros, 2015) 232 p., English-Spanish. Editors/curators: Moniek Driesse, Hugo Herrera Tobón, Annelys de Vet. With: Universidad de los Andes, La Usurpadora

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF FRYSLÂN

Afuk, 2013, 192 p, Dutch–Frysian–English. Editor: Annelys de Vet. Curator: Roelof Koster. With Keunstwurk, Academie voor Popcultuur. * Honorable mention Vredeman de Vriesprijs 2013

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF HAINAUT

Grand-Hornu Images, 2013. 192 p., French–English. Editors/curators: Moniek Driesse, Annelys de Vet. With Grand-Hornu Images, Féderation du Tourisme

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF MEXICO

LAST, 2011. 192 p., English-Spanish. Editors: Moniek Driesse, Annelys de Vet. Curators: Moniek Driesse, Analia Solomonoff. With Casa Vecina, Ule, Iago and Aavi * Awarded Henry van de Velde label 2012

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF HUNGARY

HVG Könyvek & Kitchen Budapest , 2011 192 p., English-Hungarian. Editor: Annelys de Vet. Curator: Attila Bujdoso. With Kitchen Budapest * Awarded Henry van de Velde label 2012

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF SERBIA

Dom Omladine, 2009. 128 p., English. Editor: Annelys de Vet. Curator: Marija Kovac. With Dom Omladine

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF PALESTINE

010 Publishers, 2007. 160 p., English. Editor: Annelys de Vet. Curator: Khaled Hourani. With International Academy of Arts Palestine * Awarded Best Designed books 2007

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF THE NETHERLANDS

BIS Publishers, 2005. 128 p., Dutch. Editor: Annelys de Vet. With Design Academy Eindhoven

SUBJECTIVE ATLAS OF EU, FROM AN ESTONIAN POINT OF VIEW

This atlas is the result of a 3-week workshop at the Estonian Academy of Arts held by Annelys de Vet, on the invitation of Kristjan Mändmaa, 13 – 31 october 2004. The atlas was printed in an edition of 500 and launched together with an exhibition at the end of the workshop.