MAP OF [HIS] HEART

Raise your hand if maps are what frosts your cookie!

Yep, thought so. Not really a mainstream area of interest, unless you’re a passionate cartographer… Like my friend Carryck who, over 2 months ago, enthusiastically suggested we visit the British Library for

The exhibition covers Imperialism, the Space Race, the Digital Revolution, Trade and Fashion, War & Peace all shown through maps.

As one of the videos says maps build and destruct, promote peace and war, are a tool of education and propaganda….

Because of the matter subject you can’t really skim over the exhibits, you have to read the descriptive captions to understand the value of what’s in front of you; otherwise it’s just a bunch of lines and dots on old paper.

There are dozens of maps on display, or maybe 100’s. All super interesting, so word to the wise, pick and choose the picture that attracts you most and concentrate on it. The exhibition covers 100 years after all, so it is rather extensive.

7 of us went in; Hayley and Roger ended up at the pub around the corner after an hour or so, Sim lasted a little longer but left to take a nap before going to see LION that evening.

Two hours in, Carryck and Kate were still in room 1.5 / 5 in deep obsessive states, which left Karen and me discussing our favorites while waiting for The Cartographer and the Paperphile to come out of their trance.

We all agreed that it’s an exhibition for which one needs time (over 2 hours) and stamina; our walking 4 miles on empty stomachs to get to there maybe wasn’t a good idea. But it was a captivating exhibition which I would have never visited if it hadn’t been for Carryck’s persistent nagging (yes, you did nag!)

What was interesting was comparing ‘notes’ at the end; we each liked maps which the others had potentially overlooked

Kate liked

bl04 — WW2 escape to Switzerland map – with instructions, which she read in their entirety!!!

Karen’s favorite was

bl02 — Dress made after WW2 from a map printed on silk rather than paper, which made it more durable and less noisy to unfold

Carryck’s choice was

bl07 — Map made up of currency from corresponding countries

And mine was of course the silliest of all

A common favorite was the beginning of A-Z London ; the poor lady had enough of getting lost

bl11

A little ironic to note the efforts that were made for decades to map the world, only for us to long that all our physical, virtual and digital movements were not so tracked, wishing we could ‘fall off the grid’ a bit to maintain some kind of privacy in the 21st century…

Runs till March 31st