A Thousand Channels – a queer 
mapping 🌎 platform 🎁
A 1000 channels is a software project. Since September 2021 we have been developing a queer mapping platform with which queer narratives can be visualised and published on a map in an easily accessible way.
The diverse social and political activities of queer people are mostly fleeting, temporary and not a natural part of the public image of a city.
With A 1000 channels, we are developing a platform that offers queer actors, groups and projects a way to report on these spaces and events and make them visible.
Take part 🧶
You want to tell and map queer stories? Starting from places, events, actions, projects or individuals?
With A 1000 channels we offer you a possibility to tell and document queer history(s).
Spaces
This can be the alternative queer pub culture in a certain city during a certain time. Or also - more personally - stories, experiences, places of one or more people ...
Interventions
... actions and demonstrations of a political movement, spatial interventions, spontaneous protests, public rallies.
Relations
Events, places, narratives can be connected with each other. This creates spatial, temporal or associative constellations.
Past, Present, Future, Fiction
With A 1000 channels one can document the past, capture the present or open up a glimpse into the future by, for example, making imaginary places and speculative futures visible as we imagine our queer lives.
...and it's as simple as that:
- If you would like to create your own map, please contact us! We will clarify with you what you need.
- We will set up a log-in for you for the backend. And you're ready to go :)
- You log in and can start creating and linking places, adding texts, photos and other material.
A construction kit 🔧
With the platform A 1000 channels, we provide a construction kit with which you can gather content and media, combine them and relate them to each other – spatially and temporally.
By clicking on a worldwide map or a search field for addresses, you can create places or events.
Text fields, uploading images, audio or video give you different ways of telling about the places, events and people who create them.
Data protection 🤫
We will pay special attention to data protection in the design of the tools.
Images are automatically freed from metadata.
We are experimenting with rasterisation of photos to obscure faces and there is to be a function to obscure exact location information.
Map to go 👜
At the end of each project is the idea of a "map to go".
In this way, we want to break a permanent dependence on our platform (and our project).
You can simply take your map with you and publish it on your website, your own server, without having to install any software.
Backend 🎨
We work with ORTE-Backend, a simple, straightforward backend for creating and managing POIs (Point of Interests) - or 'places' ;) - and other data on a map. With ORTE backend you can create digital maps for your queer stories.
Wiki 🎨
In the Wiki, we put together information that introduces the features and explains how you can use them.
Two examples: From Gay To Queer & Queer.topia 2021
Two exciting queer mappings were created with the tools of our platform:
From Gay to Queer
The working group "Queer narratives, mapped" works with our platform.
With a focus on the 1990s and Bremen as a spatial reference and frame, the map "From Gay to Queer" traces how queer cultures and alliances developed out of the formerly seperated gay and lesbian niches.
Using interviews and the collected materials such as flyers, posters, photographs and other material, a map was created showing different personal perspectives on the emergence of queer communities and coalitions (and its intersections and relations).
Queer.topia. A real utopia in 12 images
During our project work the map „Queer.topia. Eine reale Utopie in 12 Bildern“ (Queer.topia. A real utopia in 12 images) was created by Garabatos Atelier.
Queer.topia is a calendar project by Garabatos Atelier. In self-empowering photographs, the 2021 calendar shows queer* personalities whose biographies are connected to Bremen in many different ways, at various locations in Bremen and around.
From the work with our platform, a map was developed that uses the calendar images and additional material from the photo shoots to tell how the calendar was created and mark the places where the photos were taken.
Curious? We have a democlient with wonderful queer poetry.
If you want to add a poem to make the map grow further, contact us:
We will create a log-in for you for the backend. So that you can put the poem online yourself and at the same time make your first experiences in the ORTE Backend.
Feedback 🎤
If you have an idea for queer mappings, feel free to contact us.
We are currently looking for people with ideas for mappings to try out what we are just working on in practice.
Are you interested in collaboration and exchange about coding and design in queer contexts? Or do you have a little time for code reviews, translations and acceptance tests?
We are happy about support :)
Your feedback helps us to improve the software.
Contact 📪
If you have ideas, questions or are simply interested in the project, please do not hesitate to contact us. We speak German, English and Spanish.
If you want to contact us in another language, we will find a way to communicate ;)
You can reach us through the following channels:
Funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (9'2021 – 2'2022, funding code 01IS21S54) and supported by Prototype Fund
