London walks and mapping

London is in many ways a complex city. Walking around it and mapping my presence within it became an intricate and fundamental part of my work and research practice. 

Although my understanding of the city was centered on a subjective interpretation, mainly through my sketchbook practice, I still felt the need to depict other authors’ perspectives by reading books and visiting Museums.

The first aspect of London I researched was the famous Underground. I used it almost daily, it became part of my routine, and so I started to associate its lines and colours to different places and areas. Books such as Underground Tales of London, Underground Overground by Andrew Martin, allowed me to uncover the true importance of this public transport system and the way it has been connected to the history of the city of London. Another book, Walk the Lines, by Mark Mason, follows the author’s multiple travels as he walked on the surface of London having as a guide all the underground lines. A crazy idea? According to the author: "This was my way of covering the city. This was my route into, and out of, and oer and through, London. It was geographically exhaustive, but in a very ordered, very logical way. The idea was - and I feel a little stupid using the word, but only a ittle - beutiful.(...) The tube does this to people. It has achieved a special place in London's collective imagination. Originally a servant to the city, it has in some respects become its master.”(Mason, p.6)

Besides the underground, my study of the city led me to other authors such as Will Self, Ben Judah with the book This is London, Edard Glaser, who wrote Triumph of the City and in particular Ian Sincalir. This later describes the city and its complexity in a very honest and accurate way.

"Unravelling riddles, treating street names and street furniture, marks on walls, aerosol revisions to hoardings, found fragments, objects or lists or letters, sodden playing cards, as pages torn from a lost book, identifies London as a detective story. A story with unlimited chapters  and no resolution. The point being to find the inspiration for the next journey, a new beginning. Another shot of redemption." (p.18)

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In order to complement my reading research I visited The Museum of London. I was able to understand some of the changes that happened in and to the city and its citizens since its early formation. However, my focus ended up being centered on the maps I was encountering along the many corridors of the museum, particullarly, a series which I explored further after this visit, Charles Booth’s maps. 

I learned that these twelve maps were part of one of the most one of the most comprehensive and scientific social surveys of London life that had then been undertaken which became known as "Charles Booth's Inquiry into the Life and Labour of the People in London, undertaken between 1886 and 1903.

The Maps Descriptive of London Poverty are perhaps the most distinctive product of Charles Booth's Inquiry into Life and Labour in London (1886-1903). An early example of social cartography, each street is coloured to indicate the income and social class of its inhabitants." (https://booth.lse.ac.uk/learn-more/what-was-the-inquiry)

The maps cover London from west, Hammersmith, to east, Greenwich and from north, Hampstead, to South, Clapham. The official website of this project is very interesting and covers all the information about this project, from diaries, research conducted by Charles Booth, images of the maps and further information. It’s worth taking a look. https://booth.lse.ac.uk/

Being able to read books about London, visit museums and research geographical aspects of this city was of tremendous help. I intend to proceed exploring outside of my studio and university further on.