Visualising Time and Uncertainty. Harold Fisk’s Mississippi River Maps

Moving from 1944 Harold Fisk’s Mississippi River maps, the contribution discusses some implications of time-based drawing procedures on landscape representation. By reconstructing the ever-changing paths of the river along its journey and through the eras, Fisk outlined a groundbreaking approach to visualize the dynamic and unstable processes affecting landscape evolution. Although Fisk's gaze was oriented toward the past, in a forward-looking perspective, his work still provides valuable means to deal with uncertainty and the increasing dynamism of environments and societies threaten by climate change. Within this framework, Fisk's colourful maps continue to feed new narratives capable to recognize the physical elusiveness of landscape as an agent of ecological awareness and resilience.