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Catharina Vergeer introduces her research Mapping Traces during a film screening and conversation moderated by Eliane Bots.

Mapping Traces investigates the prevailing perception of the maritime domain as predominantly male and masculine. It sets out to ask, how do our notions of gender impact life on board a ship, and vice versa how does being vessel bound impact our perceptions of gender?

What if we blur the boundaries of perception? What knowledge can we find there? These questions were explored through hidden histories, present-day shipboard circumstances, and speculation on alternate stories. The insights gained have been translated into a choreography, and developed into a film that is currently in progress. Shot in 16mm, the black and white film captures a group of people amidst the breakers, moving in relation to their surroundings and each other. Are their movements shaped by the environment, or do they determine their own paths through the seascape? These individuals embody the hidden histories of the sea and today’s seafarers' stories through gestures and movements.