Week 10 – Feltron Reports

Posted on November 1st, 2012 in Uncategorized by mtran19

Nicholas Felton has redefined the definitions of map and history with the Feltron Annual Reports.

Felton with an annual report

Merriam Webster defines map as a noun:

a : a representation usually on a flat surface of the whole or a part of an area
b : a representation of the celestial sphere or a part of it

This definition implies a representation of something geographical or of a location. But Felton defies this by creating maps centered around obscure images in the context of maps. For example, in the 2009 Feltron Report, he is able to create maps detailing what food and beverage he has consumed over the past year and the frequency in which he did so, by utilizing shade distribution to denote frequency and consumption location. What’s even more impressive is that Felton uses similar charts to observe intangible things, such as his mood over time and the intensity of the mood, also found in the 2009 report. In a larger context, if everyone decided to conduct their own Feltron report, a million conclusions could be made about the human race. We could chart different trends such as food popularity, moods across the seasons, correlation between annual events and the average mood of Americans, comparison of average happiness between countries, the possibilities are endless. By designing the Feltron Report, Nicholas Felton is evolving the way we look at history. It is no longer just a record of important events, but an observation of pure existence.




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