Statement
Primary diagnosis: Autism
Secondary diagnosis: Mild Intellectual Disability
Courttney Cooper is widely recognized for drawing aerial views of Greater Cincinnati. Courttney walks the streets of Cincinnati, committing the places he visits to memory. Culling observations for cartographic translation in the studio, Courttney creates maps based his observations built on pieces of 8.5”x11” repurposed paper which he glues together, creating additional pictorial space as needed. “Bic pen” line drawings of Cincinnati neighborhoods undulate across the constructed surface. Translation of Cincinnati grows organically as both a manifestation of process and of place because Courttney’s practice creates a living document. Each completed map marks specific time by recording changes in Cincinnati’s landscape, transforming the map into an organic being akin to his working process as an extension of himself. Text underpins the urban plan and functions as compositional buttress by providing skeletal support for the landscape. Hints of messages expose themselves across the surface creating a marriage between the representation place and memory.
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