I helped them with preparing a presentation for a proposal in the Lea Valley. I worked on creating a current diagram of the various elements around the site; industry, residential etc.. I also began work on a future diagram, this involved looking at the site as it would become. Due to the Olympics the area is under going huge transformation. I had to examine architectural plans for the new Tesco, park and school proposal and add these elements to the diagram.
I am returning to work there next week.
This focus week also took me to the British Library at Kings Cross. I went to see the Magnificent Maps exhibition. Below are some images from this...
The exbibition was very interesting and housed in a rather nice gallery space at the library which I'd never been to. The pieces on show dated as far back as 1400's and showed the craftmanship involved in map making.
There were also some modern maps showing London from a different perspective. The map called Island was interesting. By artist Stephen Walter it showed London as an island. He had marked out in a kind of cartoon style the London that was relevant to him. The detail was amazing and it showed areas where he scored drugs, girlfriends, areas of ethnic groupings etc...
What stood out was the way maps were not just a drawing showing where things are but a social commentary of the time. Many of the maps showing far off lands like Africa and South America, often depicted strange fantastical animals and the natives as wild creatures.
What is also notable about maps is the way the maker will embellish a place. London for example has often been shown in its best light whereas there streets and areas filthy with poverty and corruption.
Visiting this exhibition was a nice completion of my year. I have been to the map room before, carrying out my own researh on the various projects I worked on. The collection on show is just a drop in the ocean compared to the millions of maps stored in the vaults below the British Library.
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