A workshop, followed by a talk and a conversation

How can mapping and spatial analysis be used to record and respond to urban conflict?

In the context of the recent arrival of Frontex in Brussels-Midi station, we will consider how mapping can be used to record and resist the militarization of urban space and how it can be used to support collective practices. We will consider mapping as a form of artistic research, activist practice, and a method that creates spatial encounters. Mapping otherwise is a participatory process that uses visual spatial language to analyse the workings of power with those who are subject to it. It is a way of questioning the conventions of standard cartography that sees from one point only (above) and removes experience. In this workshop we will consider how to create maps that are situated and that convey an everyday and lived knowledge of space from the point of view of those who are marginalised. The workshop will take these premises as its starting point: what to map, why and with whom.

Places are limited. Please register for the workshop before 11/05/2026 by sending an e-mail to: wendy(at)constantvzw.org

After a break, there will be a talk on Topological Atlas, a poetic research project by Nishat Awan* that visualises migration through digital, sensory and human perspectives, followed by a discussion. You can come to the talk without having followed the workshop, and vice versa.

Workshop: 15:00-18:00
Lecture on Topological Atlas: 19:00-20:00

*Bio
Nishat Awan’s research focuses on the intersection of geopolitics and space, particularly on issues related to diasporas, migration and border regimes. She explores modes of representation in space, especially in the digital context, and the limits of testimony as a form of ethical engagement with distant places.
https://www.topologicalatlas.net/about/people

Spoken language: English.
The room and toilets are accessible for wheelchair users.