Piece description from the artist
This piece was created by inventing waterways in water-soluble pencil and then "growing" a map within that geography. Part of the process of creating a similar piece can be viewed at vimeo.com/50571509
I started this imaginary map drawing by outlining a shore shape with islands and thin bridges in water-soluble pencil on watercolor paper. I then drew the pigment out using watercolor wash to form the watery texture, and drew in roads in varying sizes traversing the islands. I placed houses predominantly along the largest roads, thinking about personal geographies and the way that in our mental maps, we are often aware only of the buildings and structures that we need to get around our cities. In that way, the map is more of a vignette of an individual experience than an impartial, comprehensive map of a city.
This is a TurningArt exclusive limited edition print available in editions of 100.
Emily Garfield creates intricate maps of imaginary places that explore the origins of cities and the function of maps themselves. Her work is inspired by the visual language of maps as well as the fractal similarity that cities share with biological processes such as the patterns of cells and neurons.
Taking inspiration from scientific approaches, Emily Garfield bases her art practice on collaborative discovery as much as individual research, highlighted in ongoing monthly science-art meetups as well as workshops: at Genspace in New York, and at the DeCordova Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum while in Boston, among others. She was the 2014 director of the Somerville Open Studios city-wide arts event, and now lives in New York where she helps to produce the Tribeca Art+Culture Night art festival. Emily Garfield received her BA in Visual Arts from Brown University, where she also studied the aesthetic response through cognitive science.
Time-lapse map drawing video: http://vimeo.com/50571510
7-minute presentation from 2017 on making maps from rules: https://youtu.be/x6yIast7AFo
20-minute presentation from 2020 on inspirations and science connection: https://youtu.be/dtpsDWZg3tA
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