Mapping Health

Christian Nold, who has been investigating the mapping of physiological and emotional responses to space in various cities (like San Fran and Silvertown), is continuing to move the maps in even more complicated and interesting territory this April and May in Brentford (London, UK). Under the name Brentford Biopsy, Nold is teaming up with designer Daniela Boraschi to work "with local residents to gather information for digital and physical visualizations of the ecological, cultural and economic 'health' of Brentford."
Taking the notion of health beyond the individuated body, they project the metaphor of the biopsy into the realm of public health. As they put it:

Instead of taking tissue samples as one would from a human being Christian Nold and participants will be using a range of cultural probes to investigate the local social body and its unique ailments.

Since cartography and public health go way back, we remain skeptical of utopian community mapping projects. But we're also heartened to see the expansion of inputs to include the sensing of issues that might lie below (or beyond?) the physiological surface.