LIMES ET CON-FINIS_abstract

In our research about decoding complex events through the process of graphic abstraction, we investigated a possible visual or mental representation of boundaries. Boundaries are typically built on a large scale and cannot be reduced to a geometric figure. These two properties lead to the following consequence: boundaries are perceived as something immaterial. We all know the role of imagination as a means to be conscious of something and to make it exist. So we tried to create an overall and concise representation of boundaries. To achieve this goal we conducted an analytic study on relevant defensive and military walls, from the ancient Roman Empire to post World War II. We selected 23 case study, classified by the same criteria. At the end, we found out that two categories are prevalent: continuous boundaries and discontinuous boundaries. Both of them are organized into four different typologies. We translated them into graphic symbols which constitute the minimum unit useful to draw a conceptual map. So we condensed a lot of information in a short space and, above all, made visible the invisible.