CHRYSES: Mapping Environmental Health Crises – Public Understanding through Myths and Science

Environmental health crises such as pandemics, climate change, and biodiversity loss pose challenges not only to science but also to public perception. CHRYSES explores how the approaches taken in mythology through the concept of maps and journeys can be used by science to shape the understanding of these crises.

Specific objectives

The project aims to improve public understanding of environmental health crises by combining scientific map-based visualizations with mythological narratives through:

  • Investigate how maps and journeys in ancient and modern mythology narrate and represent crises.
  • Explore the role of maps as scientific tools for visualising, analysing, and explaining crises.
  • Examine maps in visual narratives as a storytelling medium to unify mythical and scientific perspectives.
  • Develop strategies to improve public understanding of environmental health crises through combining myths and science.
A photo from the pilot mental mapping workshop in Estonia, Särghaua in June 2025, showing some participants with their finished map drawings.

CONSORTIUM

  • Project Leader: Masood Masoodian, Aalto University, Finland
  • Reet Hiiemäe, Estonian Literary Museum, Estonia
  • Artemis Skarlatidou, University College London, United Kingdom
  • Jenny Butler, University College Cork, Ireland
  • Co- PI: – Shane Sheehan, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

ASSOCIATE PARTNERS

  • Sebastian Mellblom, CEO, Digimuseo.fi by Reveel Technologies Oy, Finland

ACHIEVEMENTS

The project team have conducted several major literature reviews, including two on the use of maps in literature and in the narratives of computer games, as well as a review of how maps have been used in the scientific reporting of cholera as a case study. In addition, the group conducted two major map-based workshops with the public in Estonia and the UK. The work has so far resulted in over 10 jointly co-authored articles, either already published or under peer review.

Published publications

– Hiiemäe, Reet; Kalda Mare (2025). Bridging Mythology and Science: Lessons from a Mental Mapping Workshop on the Perception of Environmental Health Crises. Yearbook of Balkan and Baltic Studies, 8 (2), 135−157. DOI: 10.7592/YBBS8.2.07.

– Hiiemäe, Reet (2025). Mida on rohekommunikatsioonil õppida keskkonnapärimusest. [What can green communication learn from environmental folklore] Keel ja Kirjandus, 3, 179−196. DOI: 10.54013/kk807a1.

  • News to be highlighted

News items related to the project are regularly published on the website (https://chryses.aalto.fi/news.html)

 Start date

1 January 2025

Project duration

24 months

 Project budget

€ 1 080 445

Funding organisations