Mi sono perso

Ambiguity:
The expression mi sono perso (in French je me suis perdu) seems to correspond to j’ai perdu l’orientation (“I have lost orientation”), but also to j’ai perdu moi-même (“I have lost myself”), i.e., “I am lost.” It oscillates between a geographical observation—objective—and an existential state—subjective. The German ich habe mich verloren emphasizes that it is the self that is lost, and one might expect a continuation: “I got lost in…” The semantic ambiguity between geographical and existential loss remains, even if it is no longer simply a loss of orientation. This ambiguity speaks to the spatial anchoring of existence and the existential dimension of geography.

Tension:
Behind every writing of the earth, behind every orientation drawing, behind every geo-graphic impulse, there is the sense of the imminence of losing oneself, of being lost. Geography, therefore, could be seen as a form of resistance against the risk of getting lost.

Revolution:
No. Losing oneself is rather a starting point, a gem, an opportunity to find oneself in a reality not previously mapped. The risk of getting lost is a chance—a chance to truly be present, on earth. Geography begins where I got lost. Being lost, the unexpected, is the driving force behind all geography. Geography is always “my” geography.

Disruption:
The writing of the earth can go against the writing of so-called maps and can undo them. It can be a gesture that creates space for rewriting. It can be a hole in a map.