Theoretical Townships #8

Theoretical Townships explores the tension between flatness and depth within aerial representations of landscape. The title references a well-known diagram, created in 1785, illustrating the method for numbering sections of a standard township survey. Mirroring the structure of this diagram, each output from Theoretical Townships is subdivided into a grid of sections, ranging from one to thirty-six. In addition to incorporating landscape elements, such as pivot irrigators, roads, and buildings, the code also overlays large blocks of color, which create associations with two-dimensional quilting patterns. Through this representational conflation of flatness and depth, the project reveals an inherent conflict between landscape and the grid: the former being an irregular, topographic continuum, and the latter operating as an abstract, geometrical device for measurement and control. Embedded within the tension between landscape and the grid is a complex set of relations regarding the history and politics of territorial expansion.

Theoretical Townships

We are a pioneering contemporary art platform that brings together a vibrant community of art enthusiasts, curators, and artists from around the world. Driven by the philosophy 'In Art We HODL', our mission is to empower everyone to explore, collect, learn about, and engage with crypto art like never before.