Imaginary Cities


Strange exhibition at the British Library of works by contemporary artist Michael Takeo Magrunder transforming the British Libraries digital map collection into fictional landscapes for the information age.

I’m afraid the most interest thing in the show were the original maps that had been used to create the four works and the information about the British Library project to digitise 19th century books and to extract the maps, Illustrations and photographs into a database.  I loved his description that an archive was not just a repository but “a storehouse of creative potential that engenders new avenues or culture”.

My only problem was that I didn’t really understand the art works he had produced. This wasn’t helped by the fact the virtual reality one wasn’t working when I was there. The Paris works were large square, kaleidoscope like images but I couldn’t understand the explanation of how these related to the maps. I did like the London triptych which gradually changed and adapted but again wasn’t sure what it was. The Chicago piece was more understandable being a laser engraved wooden map of the city inlaid with uv pigment, at least it was a beautiful object.

Closed  14 July 2019

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