Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the use of camera-mounted kites to engage with landscapes shaped by land management. It examines how aerial imagery and the experience of interacting with the terrain enable an investigation into the ‘texture’ of land governance.

Paper long abstract:

The questions underpinning this paper arise from the use of camera-mounted kites as a methodology for fieldwork research in landscapes shaped by land management.

Flying a kite engenders a correspondence between flier and air (Ingold), enabling engagement with terrain in unexpected ways. While tethered and maneuvering the kite, one must remain mindful of each step, enhancing the perception of atmospheric and geographical elements. The camera extends this engagement into an experiential continuum with technologies ranging from pigeon photography to satellites and drones. It enables an investigation into the essentialism underlying the technological gaze and cartographic representation, and processes of concealment and ‘naturalization’ inherent in the construction of landscape.

The author's (emergent) notation system captures personal experience, atmospheric elements, and the varied textures of the surface shaped by land management activities. In an anti-reductivist spirit (Elden), an analogy is drawn between such ‘texture’ and the broader mechanisms of contemporary territorial governance. Ultimately, the paper explores how these can be investigated and, perhaps, unveiled through the disruptions introduced by research practices that challenge boundaries and the underlying visual logic of aerial imagery.