This map used the data found on the Cushman Archive from the University of Indiana, as formatted a CSV. It included information about what the photo was off, where it was taken, when it was taken and other information about storage and photography.

To refine this data I put it into OpenRefine to sort through and find the photographs that I wanted to include in my map. I was looking for photos that highlighted aquatics on Cushman’s photographic journey. I wanted to see how the photographs might change or be similar depending on where Cushman went and how long he’d been there. As for data cleaning I also had to change the dates that were provided by the CSV file into a format that was accepted by ArcGIS. I did that in excel.

I decided to not have a time slider and instead have the dots be different shades of color depending on time. The makes it harder to see the progression of the photographs and locations. But it allows all the points to be seen at once in that progression instead of only as a slider. I also was unable to figure out how to have a slider and other sidebars and thought the sidebar with robust information might be more useful for showing the info about the photos. I would’ve really liked to include the photos themselves in these sidebars, but this was beyond my current technical skills.

For this website I decided to embed the map on the main page and add a small description, as the map doesn’t have too much information about it’s goal. Also ideally, if I were to expand this project I would’ve made more space for the photos on this site as to help illustrate and see the connection between location, time, and art.

Ultimately this map allowed me to look at multiple variables in a way I wouldn’t have been able to see with just a map or network. The ability to look at both the spatial space that Cushman travelled through and also the time that he spent at any location was a powerful addition. It was interesting to see how he would return to San Francisco but also how he would take photos on the way of trips, making different spots on different days.

This could also be scaled up and used to look at trends of him or other photographers. Where did he take a lot of photographs? What type of photographs was he taking in different locations? In this small scale it gives a small taste of Cushman’s relation to one specific resource, in this case water. It is also interesting to see how the photographs of water change as he moves to different areas. In some places, where there is less water, his focus IS the water. But in places with more abundance he focused on the items and things that are in relation to them, such as boats, bridges, and animals.

Overall this format could be used to look at photography in many directions. Looking at how art is influenced by location or how photographers move through space and time can be a different way to analyze and appreciate art.