Month: September 2012

Categories
Data Graphics London

Prism: A Real-life CityDashboard

I was at the V&A earlier today to see Prism, a new installation by digital artist Keiichi Matsuda which is part of the London Design Festival.

Prism uses data from UCL CASA’s CityDashboard and other London open data sources, to visualise London in a novel way. The exhibit, which consists of triangular sails joined together in an irregular pattern, and lit from within, slowly pulses and evolves as the data that the patterns and colours are showing, changes. The visualisations are derived from fast-changing weather, travel and other London data sources. There is no key at all so you have to use your imagination to hypothesise what each panel is showing – although a couple have TfL roundels and bike share bikes on them, hinting at their purpose. Prism’s shape and positioning makes it look slightly organic, as it appears to about to burst through the floor and into the gallery space below.

Seeing Prism is a bit of a mission – it requires first going to the sixth floor of the V&A – not immediately obvious to find – then signing a disclaimer, ascending – in small groups of just 6 – a tiny spiral staircase. You then move across a narrow ledge, before finally you enter the darkened room. Prism is suspended in the middle, allowing a 360-degree inspection, and also a glimpse of the galleries beneath. Another spiral staircase, in one corner, then allows visitors to get a different, surprise view.

If you want to see Prism you need to book a timed ticket (free) in advance, and be aware it’s only on for the next 10 days. If you don’t manage to get a ticket, you can still see a glimpse of the base of Prism, as it is suspended over one of the galleries on the sixth floor of the museum.

Categories
Conferences

Behind the Scenes at the British Library Map Room

I was lucky enough to be on a private tour of the British Library Map Room, as part of the Society of Cartographers conference at the beginning of the month.

The tour showed some of the treasures of the Map Room, including the world’s first printed colour map, proofs of the world’s largest atlas, and a fragile nested set of globes; followed by a walk through the huge, industrial map storage facility in the bottom basement underneath the British Library (the Northern Line could be heard rumbling above!) and a quick look in the Map Reading Room. Some of the older maps of (real) places look like they are straight out of a fantasy novel – presumably the latter being heavily influenced by the former. A good example is above.

Thanks to the SoC for organising and the Curator of Antiquities for showing us around.

Categories
Conferences London

Mapping London Presentation for the Society of Cartographers Conference

I presented on the Mapping London blog, at the Society of Cartographers’ 48th Annual Conference which was at UCL this year, showing a general outline of the blogs and some maps featured on it, plus some work done by James and I. My presentation is here (6MB PDF). Note that the attribution for the many maps featured on the presentation is at the end.