l:’world map’, 2006 two thousand layers of cotton cloth by ai weiwei

r: ‘map of china’, 2004 joined tieli wood by ai weiwei

authors: katharine harmon, gayle clemens publisher: princeton architectural press year: 2009 size: 256 pages, 25.4 x 22.9 cm isbn: 9781568987620

http://www.papress.com _____________________________________________________________ designboom rating: the map as art - 2 the map as art - 3 the map as art - 4 the map as art - 5

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maps can be simple tools, comfortable in their familiar form, or they can lead to different destinations: places turned upside down or inside out, territories riddled with marks understood only by their maker, realms connected more to the interior mind than to the exterior world.

content ‘the map as art’ tracks the work of contemporary artists such as ai weiwei, olafur eliasson, jasper johns, julian schnabel… exploring the artistic potential found within the practice of cartography.

typically seen as something utilitarian, promising routes into and out of the unknown, the book reveals 360 artistic visions of the map. the creative interpretations provide conceptual documentations of our changing geography, tracking history and our political state. the highlighted pieces act as an expression of one’s travels, global cultural transformations, the world’s ephemeral nature, presenting myths and dreams of imagined utopias.

is it for me? from the homebody to the avid traveller, this book will make one appreciate the art of cartography. it is an interesting compilation of contemporary artistic pieces exploring how the map can be utilized as an informative document or artistic medium, or both simultaneously. the map as art - 6‘fault lines’, 2003 altered atlas by doug beube the map as art - 7‘souvenir’, 2004 folded souvenir tea towels by susanna castledenthe map as art - 8‘doily portrait’, 2004 cut brooklyn bus map and lace work by meredith mcneal the map as art - 9 ‘london subway’, 2007 red cotton stitched on rice paper by susan stockwell the map as art - 10 ‘wear and tear’, 2003 rubber mat by jonathan parsons the map as art - 11 ‘oildale’, 2006 constructed map by greg colson

the map as art - 12‘town of thorns’, 1991 roads spiked with thorns by guillermo kuitca the map as art - 13

_____________________________________________________________ designboom ratings: the map as art - 14 ……………………. interesting the map as art - 15 the map as art - 16 ………………. good read, worth a look the map as art - 17 the map as art - 18 the map as art - 19 …………. very good the map as art - 20 the map as art - 21 the map as art - 22 the map as art - 23 ……. excellent, recommended the map as art - 24 the map as art - 25 the map as art - 26 the map as art - 27 the map as art - 28. must have_____________________________________________________________