Filipino Geographer and Wife Create Amazing Street Map Arts
Talk about creating something so out of the ordinary and unexpected from your career.
Jon Villasper is a Filipino geographer who used to teach map design and communication classes at the University of the Philippines and engages in various development and environment sector consultancies. His projects often require him creating carefully drawn maps that influence the drafting of local and international policies. Say, a governor wants to find out the safest place to establish a new community that is free from flooding and earthquakes? They call the likes of Jon to help them locate those sites.
His job entails a lot of travel but like many who are affected by the pandemic and movement restrictions, he made good use of his free time by walking and exploring his neighborhood to avoid the so-called cabin fever, and for health reason as a more valid excuse. Also, catching pokemons along the way. Now, that last one is actually a good motivator to go out and walk. Just ask any Level 35+ pokemon player out there. He’s Level 41, by the way.
But the geographer in him also influenced his walking route. Together with his wife, Cherie, they created a more novel and creative way to travel around their community. Instead of aimlessly pointing their feet to anywhere, Jon mapped their walking routes and what they came up with became literally street map arts.
While this kind of art is not new, Jon may be the first Filipino to may have actually done this several times, and with good details.
He has also demonstrated that one does not need huge territories to “draw” a map art. You just have to look at google map to discover lots of “arts” waiting to be digitally painted.
I asked Jon how to make a street map art in case anybody out there would want to do the same thing. His solution was actually simple. Open the google map, see the place you want to travel around in, draw a shape that would fit into your walking or biking route and do a screenshot of the map art, then follow the route. Just make sure you have the Google Fit app and turn it on when you start your activity. There are some apps or more techy alternatives available out there that have more details or other features that one may want included in the street map art. Jon avers, “kung gusto ng iba ng technological assistance gagawin muna nila yung track sa google earth then export it to a GPS app para may navigation assistance siya.
A peek to how Jon and Cherie plan out their street map art route
What Jon and Cherie have done may actually create a new form of travel for many Filipinos, especially in this time of limited travel. Just try to imagine planning your biking or walking route and deciding to create a map art of an anime or pokemon character. It could be an amazing experience and work of art at the same time. And definitely a good way to earn some heart points, literally.
Ohhh…. If only I can influence the tourism department, I could create a domestic travel program like this! Come up with a contest to create street map arts and influence local travel (and both mental and physical health!) . Of course, I will invite Jon as the head judge. But yeah, that would be an interesting scenario…
