Have completed my first map! It shows the whole city of Newport. When printed it will be large, over a meter square. The River Usk bisects the town and enters the Bristol channel. On the west bank of the River is the district of Pill and this has special significance for me. Pill is the docks area of the city. Over the years many immigrants have found a home here – my grandfather was one. In this one small district there are in excess of thirty languages spoken. Some of there communities are very old, there has been a Somali community here for over a hundred years. More recently there have been arrivals from Eastern Europe. So in a sense this map charts changes in those who have come to live here. The map is unlabeled, reduced to a series of unmarked flowing lines, I have tried to give a pattern like quality to the map. I imagined the mystery and draw of the land, this sense of coming to a new place seeing it for the first time, something quite different to that you know. Full of unknown symbols. The natural shape of the river/land seems to communicate this, the course of the river is sinuous and opens funnel like to the Bristol channel, the river seems to draw you in towards the land, it seems to suggest a new life to come. I can only imagine it must be the strongest of motivations that brings a person here to start a new life. I see this map as a type of landscape revealing the form of the land and water. The course the river takes is very attractive, which is ironic in a way, when viewed close to, the exposed river mud banks are quite ugly.
Have finally taken my graphics tablet out of its box and connected it up to my pc. The process is -you move a electrical pencil over a pad positioned on your worksurface and draw, the image appears on the pc screen and its as simple as that. Even though your not directly viewing the action of your hand, everthing makes sense and coordinates. The graphic tablet is responsive to the pencil pressure and the angle at which the pencil is held, so all in all it feels a fairly natural intuitive experience. I think it would be fairly well nigh impossible to do this project without this equippment. Current technology has enabled the project, I guess new technology will always act a cataylst for artist experimentation, which must be a good thing. Im using the pad in combination with a graphics software package, I know people can get a bit intimidated with software, so many options where do you start. The point is that you will only ever use a small amout of that functionality, its just knowing the bit you want. In my case it was the pencil tool that interested me so I got familiar with that aspect of it. I'm trying to define a look for my maps how they will appear the quality of the lines, their smoothness and weight. I want a organic flowing look to the maps the idea of a living evolving landscape. All these sort of things can be controlled an tweaked through the software so its all about experimenting at the moment.
Not fully with it at the moment and I haven’t even started my project so that's bodes well for the future? The graphics tablet (the electronic drawing board) arrived over a week ago but stands unpacked in the corner. Is this the electronic equivalent of writers block.
My mind's full of other stuff at the moment, a mixture of trivia, family matters, and the wider world. The typical mangle that occupies our day to day thoughts. Spring seems to be coming early here- the daffodils are fully in bloom. What is traditionally a joyous symbol of spring perhaps portents of something far more ominous for the future. Had a nice day in Bristol, Saturday gone went to the Royal West of England academy they were showing their open sculpture show. The RWA is a fine old building, you sort of imagine the place to be populated with pompous conservative old farts, but they show a wide range of interesting work there. It cost three pound to enter and was free for the kids. Show was nice , the absence of any support literature let it down a little, as much for the exhibitors as the visitors, I would have though the six quid could have run to a free A4 printout.
Hopefully this won’t be the last one will catch you again.
Received some good news, the ordinance survey have granted me permission to make use of historical maps within my project- was a bit worried about that, the project is based on comparing maps of different ages, so not to have use of these maps would have caused major problems. They have asked that I just include an acknowledgment of their permission in any exhibition material, which seems reasonable. The other piece of good news is that my project will receive the support of the Arts Council Wales, its nice when people say yes. So I feel in an optimistic ready to go mood. My project is pretty much in the main digital in other words carried out on a pc. The idea is to produce the artwork on the computer using suitable graphics software, these will then be printed. To do this type of thing calls for a pc with a bit of power. Plenty of memory and a powerful processor, I'll need to bolster up my machine. I will draw to the screen using a something called a graphics tablet, this is a device that plugs into your pc you move a electrical pen over the tablet and you will see the image appear on screen. The hand eye co-ordination thing is a bit different since you are not directly viewing your own hand, producing the drawing. Anyway must get one soon, they are horrendously expensive but I can't do without one. Starting the project is about getting the right tool set, the correct software and computer configuration, not quite paint and brushes I know, but art means many things I guess. And then it's off to go. It surprising but to get to this starting point has taken a lot of time – a years planning.
Been looking at old ordinance survey(OS) maps in the local library they are more calligraphic and flowing than their modern counterparts. Some of these maps go back over a 150 years which is the sort of time frame that interest me. The maps were regularly re-published every twenty years or so, with updates and changes.
When comparing maps, the changes became very apparent. Starting with the earliest maps I could see a radial growth from the center, evidence of new replacing old. Swathes of woodland disappear as time moves on. I suppose any place is patch worked in this way, bits being added, removed and replaced. Some maps reveal significant social changes, workhouses were indicated on maps from the nineteenth century and maps from the 1950's onwards show evidence of social planning at that time, with the appearance of large estates and schools and the infrastructure that supports them.
As I understand it any map which is fifty years or older can be freely used without infringing copyright. If you wish to use more recent maps you need to contact the OS and seek permission. Many people think that the laws governing the usage of this type of material should be freed up in order that full creative use can be made of them. I intend starting my project next year (Feb time) so now seems a good time to approach the OS and clear my proposed usage.
