Mapping is a fascinating concept. On the one hand, a colonial tool of domination and subjugation, an attempt to capture and distill the ever changing environment we inhabit. On the other hand, a useful and exciting tool for engaging with geography and a key to understanding our interpretation of this realm we find ourselves in.
The Irish word for map is “léarscáil” (pronounce: lair-scoyl) which literally translates into English as something like “clear projection”, or directly translates as “show shadow”, describing a visual projection of our cognitive understanding of geography. It works much better, to my mind, as inherent within it is this idea of something filtered in and back out again, something processed, digested, breathed.
We have all seen centuries-old maps and have remarked upon their inaccuracy, often with great comedic affect. That said, these are the maps that allowed for centuries of efficient exploration and exploitation. An Ireland on it’s side was precisely how it was viewed from an English perspective. A non-existent Australia made perfect sense to European navigators, although they scratched their heads as to why certain currents and winds worked the way they did without the existence of a large continent down-under.
Thus, mapping is not just a means of capturing real-world information but also one of relaying that information through the filters of our flawed and prejudicial minds. This is a power that, when wielded benignly, can add greatly to our already highly developed capacity for communication, a core tenet of human culture.
In this gallery is a collection of my works that feature maps as the primary subject. It has become a bit of a motif in my work and therefore you’ll see the concept appear time and again in other pieces.
Port of Cork
Recreation of 19th century map of the upper docklands of the port and lower downtown of Cork city. Reprinted by hand using era appropriate printmaking methods.
Léarscáil ón naoú aois déag dos na duganna uachtarachta agus lár na cathrach ístearach Corcaí. Athchlóite faoi lámh tríd mheáin priontáladh oiriúnach don aois.
Much has changed; streets have had their names updated and buildings that survived the British arson attack of 1921 have changed purpose a few times… the stains of colonialism and religious fundamentalism slowly coming clean, being carried out to sea by the majestic River Lee, the only true constant of this city ar on the great marsh of Munster.
Tá go leoir athraithe ón am sin; athainimníodar na sráideanna agus d’athchuireadar na foirgneamh a thánaigh slán tríd coirloscadh na Bhreathnaigh i 1921, salachar an gcoilíniú agus bunúsachas reiligiúnach iompraithe amach go dtí an farraige ag abhainn uasal na Laoi, an t-aon fíor áitritheoir na cathrach seo ar Corcach mór na Mumhan.
Unframed: €180
Framed: €230
Domhan
A visual representation of the planet to which we belong, segmented to facilitate accuracy of land mass shape and size.
Port of Cork 2
First Editions have been reserved. Contact me to commission a reprint or head to Saatchi Art to view printed reproduction options.
MONTSERRAT
MONTSERRAT
Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean with archaeology evidencing it was first inhabited by native Caribbean communities from 2000BC to 500AD.
It was settled again by Irish communities in the 1600s who seem to have brought Brehon Law with them.
Fearing British invasion and given the ongoing settler colonial and plantation activities of the crown on the island of Ireland, the communities of Montserrat invited the French to claim the island. They did briefly occupy but were soon followed by the British who, needless to say, did not hold back.
Despite the seizing by force of the island by the English, the island's legal status is that of a "colony acquired by settlement". The crown is known to this day for its penchant for radical subjectivity
The British then transported enslaved people from sub-Saharan Africa, building an economy based on the production of sugar, rum, arrowroot and sea island cotton, cultivated on large plantations by slave labour.
The enslaved descendants of Africans and the indentured servants of Irish descent were in close contact throughout and this has lead to today’s nation of black people with Corkonian surnames and accents. The Irish language was documented on the island until at least the mid-1800s.
As with Ireland, there were various uprisings and rebellions, although they differed in that the objective was primarily to end slavery. These efforts were eventually successful and slavery was abolished in the 1830s. This is commemorated annually with a 10 day festival to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day.
Please read more about the fascinating culture and economy of Montserrat!
Here I have presented my remix of an OS map of the island with sections of the island bearing Corkonian place names enlarged, printed using Cyanotype or “blueprint”, a technique that has been used since the 1840s to produce images for cartographic and architectural purposes. Following volcanic activity in the 1990s, much of the old Irish region is now an exclusion zone.
Like all of my maps, this is a guide through the subconscious… please don’t use it for navigational purposes!