The Island: London Mapped

Product Description

London`s streets, built up over more than two thousand years, are a maze of history, cultures & stories. In his fantastically detailed maps of the city, Stephen Walter translates these elements into a tangle of insightful yet humorous words & symbols that make up a complex of hidden meanings & wider contradictions. Testament to Walter`s skill & importance as a cartographer, his groundbreaking, oversized map The Island was one of only two works by contemporary artists to feature in the seminal Magnificent Maps exhibition held at the British Library in 2010, the other by Grayson Perry & was exhibited together with some of the most important maps in history, such as Pierre Desceliers`s 1550 world map. The work, which reimagines London as an insular body of land surrounded by water, has now been reconfigured & turned into Walter`s own version of a London street atlas, with readers able to explore his unique vision of the city by flicking through the pages. A grid at the front of the book lets readers easily navigate their way through the map & the large-scale, detailed reproductions allow for close examination of his witty & inventive depictions. Walter`s cartographic renderings have a cult following & now a wider audience will be able to immerse themselves in his uniquely personal vision
- one that both celebrates the art of mapmaking & pokes intelligent fun at the city he calls home.