THE MAP MARATHON

Because curator and serial-interviewer, Hans Ulrich Obrist has described his life-long interview project as a parallel reality; a "secret garden" of knowledge that has always informed and directed his curatorial work. So it follows that each year the serpentine gallery stage their 24-hour marathon event - an amplified dialogue between practitioners from a range of specialized fields - hosted and curated by Obrist, as a research platform for both participants and audience. This year, the "map marathon" will explore all forms of mapping in a complex digitised, interconnected society; from the mapping of data, space and time to multiple dimensions, language and the body, the marathon will present a comprehensive portrait of mapping in the 21 century. Technology will play a leading role this year, with speakers disseminating the long-term implications of digitised mapping: data visualisation, digital architectures and information-embedded, user-generated maps. Artist's Marina Abramović, Simon Fujiwara, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Gilbert & George are among a few to join software designer Casey Reas, EDGE founder John Brockman, poet-mathematician Jacques Roubaud and architect David Adjaye in what will be an information-driven, multi-disciplinary event.