Aarya Chandrasekhar

Narrative Cartographies

Narrative Cartographies- Storming The Bastille

The French Revolution recalls to the mind many historical moments- from the guillotine, heads on pikes, the rise of a  French man(of average height) that conquered half of Europe, the cult of Robespierre, to Marie Antoinette graciously allowing the peasants to "Let them eat cake". This video cartography aims to map out the events of 14 July, 1789 at the Bastille, Paris; the day that started the bloody revolution that forever changed Europe. The 5minute video cartography of the final assignment can be viewed using the link:https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8Two smaller cartographies done over the course of the elective have also been added. 


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A wave of revolutionary zeal has overcome Paris in defiance to unpopular policies and the inequality of French society exposed by the failure of the Estates General. King Louis ordered the Imperial military to surround Paris during July 1789, further destabilising the increasingly volatile situation. Still from the video assignment ‘storming the bastille_narrative cartographies’- 0:20 (Youtube- https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8)

Fearing having their dissent being quelled, the revolutionaries formed a bourgeois militia on 12th July,1789. Parisians raided Hotel de Invalides early 14th morning, a military hospital, to procure weapons for the same. Still from the video assignment ‘storming the bastille_narrative cartographies’- 0:44 (Youtube- https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8)

The weapons stolen lacked gunpowder, so later that morning, 600 Parisians surrounded the Bastille, a royal fortress, demanding they hand over all the gunpowder, ammunition and unconditionally surrender. Still from the video assignment ‘storming the bastille_narrative cartographies’- 1:05 (Youtube- https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8)

The angry crowd, growing ever larger, surged into the outer courtyard, while negotiations continued between the fortress governor and the delegates of the revolutionaries. Three vainqueurs scale the walls to cut loose the drawbridge defending the inner courtyard. Still from the video assignment ‘storming the bastille_narrative cartographies’- 1:56 (Youtube- https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8)

The crowd rushes into the inner courtyard as calls to retreat by the guards are made in vain. Still from the video assignment ‘storming the bastille_narrative cartographies’- 2:12 (Youtube- https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8)

Amidst the chaos, fighting erupts as the garrison engages the mob. Still from the video assignment ‘storming the bastille_narrative cartographies’- 2:19 (Youtube- https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8)

At 3:30pm, a mutinous detachment of French guards drag cannons to blast open drawbridge into the Bastille courtyard. Still from the video assignment ‘storming the bastille_narrative cartographies’- 3:13 (Youtube- https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8)

5:30pm: with limited supplies, the Governor of the Bastille surrenders to the besiegers; who sweep in and finally take control of this towering symbol of despotism and seize all its ammunition. Still from the video assignment ‘storming the bastille_narrative cartographies’- 3:48 (Youtube- https://youtu.be/qa_xQgjoFI8)

An excerpt from 'Creative Credo' by Paul Klee was interpreted and satirised into a map of an over-commercialised national park. ‘Tread by the famous philosopher St. Klee as he searched for enlightenment, the path has been turned into a hiking trail for visitors to ponder over the meaning of life with camping and trekking spots’- Klee Park Information Centre

Inspired from Rick and Morty s1ep03 'Anatomy Park' Morty is sent by Rick into an amusement park inside a human body. Things going awry finds Morty trying to escape from the Anatomy Park through the Bone Train- the park’s subway. Did I just map out an entire fictional anatomical transport network based off a 30 second plot point the showrunners created solely for a sexual innunendo? Yes, yes I did.