A bunch of clever folks in Cambridge, Mass. calling themselves “The Institute for Infinitely Small Things” are asking the public to rename everything in the city so they can produce an alternative map of The City Formerly Known as Cambridge. The project is called “Initiative for the Renaming of Names in Cambridge” and described as such:
There are a rich set of economic, political and cultural interests at work in the production of names. The Institute for Infinitely Small Things is interested in researching these interests in Cambridge, MA, by inviting the public to circumvent them.
The Institute is also interested in the social uses and perceived economic value of existing places in Cambridge. Our questions are simple:
• What will people rename?
• What kinds of relationships will prompt people to rename certain places (antagonistic, personal, habitual, historical)?
• What will not be renamed?
• Which places will be renamed the most (i.e. acquire the most economic value)?
