The Posthuman Census citizen cartography project asks: How big is the population of a posthuman city?

The project reconsiders statistical data, how we count populations, and the civic diversity of our urban towns and cities. Do we privilege human citizens only in our census data? If we take our own census and include more than human citizens in that, how does our understanding of population density change? How does experimenting with taking a census disrupt what we commonly understand of population and help us glimpse the rich multispecies citizens of our cities?

In this project, you are a citizen cartographer. You can participate by downloading the blank map from the link below (this is not of any real place, so you can use it wherever you are) and take a census of any kind of ‘citizen’ you notice. Full instructions are listed below:

Instructions:

1. Download the blank map from the project folder https://tinyurl.com/5abtkuke You can print it and concertina fold it like a traditional road map. You can also use a drawing app to digitally record your census data on a smart device.
2. Visit somewhere in your neighbourhood – a park, a shopping mall, a high street, a train station. Any location will be appropriate.
3. Decide which citizen you will take a census of. Citizens can include litter, birds, water, leaves, rain, wind, smoke, and more. The purpose of the project is to be as diverse in thinking about ‘how’ is a citizen, if citizens are thought about through a posthuman reading. The important thing is to record just one type on each map.
4. Take the paper or digital map, and using any drawing tool of your choice, record the shadows of your chosen citizen on the printed side of the map. You can use any medium and any colour/s.
5. You might draw the outline of the shadow, block out a solid shape of the shadow, or do a combination. If your citizens are moving a lot, your shadows might not be accurate; you record what you can.
6. Keep drawing as many shadows of your chosen citizen as you want. If you are using a paper map, unfold and refold it and draw on the different sections. Your shadows might overlap, and your map won’t have a top or bottom.
7. When you are finished, write the date, location, and citizen recorded on the back of the paper map or as the file name of the digital map. An example is: 2Jan22-Melbourne-dogs.
8. Photograph or scan your map and upload it to the project folder. The folder also contains a spreadsheet for you to add your details if you wish. You are welcome to remain anonymous if you prefer.

If you wish to receive updates about the project or are interested in participating further, please contact Linda: Linda.Knight@rmit.edu.au

Upload your citizen census data to the project folder: https://tinyurl.com/5abtkuke

The census data maps will be featured on this website complete with details and authorship. Citizen cartographers will be credited unless they prefer to remain anonymous.

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