This interactive map art is a representation of a semester’s work in the course Mapping The Futures Of Higher Education, taught by Distinguished Professors Cathy Davidson and William Kelly at The City University Of New York (CUNY). As a Futures Initiative Graduate Teaching Fellow, I taught Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech Mechanism at Lehman College. The major elements of the speech mechanism are represented on the map; the lungs (the power), the larynx (the source), and the vocal tract (the filter).
An additional element of the design is the megaphone as a representation of the desire of Lehman College students to be heard. The megaphone leads to a video link in which the students of this undergraduate course perform their version of a Bronx Cheer, titled The Power May Be In Manhattan But The Brains Are In The Bronx! (Written by Michelle Mack and Richard Lissemore)
The final element of this project is a geo-political jibe at the commonly held perception that Manhattan is the power center of New York, while the Bronx is often ignored. Can you hear us now?