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THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM: An Inside Look

THE PROCESS

Starting in 1992, I asked a wide range of people these questions: Could you make a drawing of the political spectrum as you imagine it? What comes to your mind when you hear phrases such as "the left vs. the right", "centrist", "the far right", "the extremists on both sides" or "the people on top", or "what goes on behind the scenes"? Do you imagine a line, an image, a map, a field, a space, or a series of points? Or do you picture something else? Or do you not use an image at all?

Quite a few persons knew immediately what I meant before I could finish my questions, and started to make their rendering. Others needed more information and had questions such as: "Do you mean the way things are portrayed in the media or the way things actually are?" or "In this country or the world in general?", or "I can't draw, do you still want me to make a drawing", or "Can I use text in the drawing?"

I usually explained that I was interested in whether a person uses mental images to organize political information and if so, what kinds of images. I also replied that any kind of geo-political sphere is of interest and any drawing, whether using text, simple lines, or elaborate graphics, is fine as long as the rendering is an attempt to approximate the images that reside in the person's mind.

About a third of the people I asked could not or would not make a drawing for various reasons, the most common being that they simply do not have or use mental images when they think about politics.

In all cases I asked the person to sign the drawing if they wanted their names to be mentioned and to not sign it if they wanted to remain anonymous. I also explained that I intend to publish the drawings, and so if they did not want them published without royalties, to not provide me with a drawing.
 

This is a work in progress. I would greatly appreciate additional drawings: If you would like to submit a drawing (or several) please contact: Max Becher, 49 Crosby St., NY, NY 10012, Tel: 212 966 2827 or Email: MaxBecher@AOL.com