ABSTRACT
The opening statement situates the trial in time but also in space. Not unlike its temporal ambivalence, floating in between past and future, the opening statement is characterized by an ambivalent spatiality that is simultaneously rooted in an abstract ‘international’ space and a supposedly material—yet not always strictly defined—local referent. When a certain area is described, maps are the obvious objects used to visualize the spatial dimensions of the story. In many ways, maps contribute to the processes of constructing a particular view of the events that are discussed in the courtroom. The map has always been a tool for people to make sense of space and place. Maps are everywhere and can have multiple meanings and uses. News items, lectures, and even novels are illustrated with maps. Through Google Maps and open mapping software, engagement with cartography has become an everyday activity.
