Living Maps: An Atlas of Cities Personified

(Hardback)

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Description

This gorgeously illustrated atlas personifies 28 cities around the world. Each map sheds light on the strange and marvelous ways in which humans interact with the places they call home. Artist and creative cartographer Adam Dant dissects Manhattan in an anatomical diagram, traces the form of a Picasso nude in the streets of Monaco, and transforms the crisscrossing paths of boats on the Bosporus into the nerves of Istanbul. Dant draws on the history, culture, and geography of each city and on the aesthetic of antique maps to create works of cartographic art. With a light touch in the introduction, the maps are framed with the intriguing fictional narrative of Dr. London, a collector of anthropomorphised maps. Each map is preceded by text exploring the theme of the map, written as though by a scholar studying Dr. London's collection. This conceit, combined with Dant's gorgeous faux-vintage style, makes the book a unique and beguiling gift.

Reviews

"Living Maps is presented as a collection of beautifully illuminated, hand-drawn charts from the library of an imagined character, the slippery Dr London." -- World of Interiors

Author Bio

Adam Dant was born in Cambridge and studied at the Royal College of Art in London and the Maharaja Sayajirao University Faculty of Fine Arts in Baroda, India. His previous publications include 50 People of East of Londonand a series of 18th century-style pamphlets entitled Donald Parsnips' Daily Journal. His upcoming publishing includes Adam Dant's Maps of London and Beyond, a volume of maps representing London's history and culture. He is the recipient of the Jerwood Drawing Prize, and his work has been exhibited internationally and features in several private and museum collections. In 2015, he was appointed the official artist of the U.K. general elections. He lives and works in London.