Sea charts are indispensable on board ships. But how did the sea map come into being and why? The cartography exhibition De zee in kaart explores the history of sea charts with atlases and measuring instruments.Venue: Het ScheepvaartmuseumURL: https://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.com/whats-on/exhibitions/ch[...]
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Sint-Niklaas,
BelgiumHow do artists today depict heaven and earth at a time of fiercely shifting borders on our globe?
Today, the maps of the world are being firmly rearranged. Our globe is experiencing exciting times and getting a new layout. How do artists currently view heaven and earth? Using the scientific imagination of cartographer Mercator as a compass, artists critically and imaginatively explore themes such as: the vertical gaze or axis mundi, projections and corrections, measurements and yardsticks, riches and dangers in the subsoil, the crucial role of water and oceans, traces of the celestial globe and the art of getting lost in order to finally find one's own place. In addition to numerous artists, several scientists are also involved, which translates into an in-depth fringe programme.
All information about the exhibition may be found here.Venue: MAP (Sint-Niklaas)
MAP - Mercator is the completely renovated museum in the heart of Sint-Niklaas. It opens on 13 December with a stunner of an opening festival: exhibitions, creative and educational workshops, guided tours and quests, nocturnes and atmospheric entertainment. More information and programme on the museum webpage (in Dutch).
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Marseille,
FranceFrom the Moon to the Evening Star, from the constellation of the Great Bear to the rings of Saturn, the celestial vault and the stars that inhabit it are the subject of immense fascination.
The exhibition ‘Reading the Sky’ focuses on the understanding of the night sky in the Mediterranean, as seen from Earth. From the first records of the ancient Mesopotamian sky to the popularity of contemporary astrology, via medieval Arab-Muslim astronomy and the Galilean revolution, societies in the Mediterranean basin have looked to the stars to situate themselves in the cosmos and organise themselves on Earth. Knowledge and beliefs have circulated between the shores, forming a common culture of the sky that still nourishes our contemporary approach to the stars.
More information here.
Step into the shadows at Secret Maps, a major new exhibition revealing the stories hidden in some of history’s most mysterious maps.
Maps have always been more than just tools for navigation – in the hand of governments, groups and individuals, maps create and control knowledge. In Secret Maps, we trace the levels of power, coercion and secrecy that lie behind maps from the 14th century to the present day, and uncover the invisible forces that draw and distort the world around us.
More information on the exhibition page.Venue: British Library
Analyzing the visual language of maps. Lines are the foundation of the visual language of maps. For centuries, mapmakers have experimented with the placement, density, and purpose of lines like these to make maps seem simple and objective. These lines are never as straightforward as they seem. This exhibition follows lines on maps to their extremes. By exploring how maps use lines to make the world legible, the exhibition will bring you through examples of mapmakers and artists who have created, bent, and broken these linear rules. By following these lines, you will find maps to be more complex and more motley than they ever imagined!
All information here.Venue: The Newberry Library
‘Maps in books’ is a temporary exhibition in the MAP - Curiosum exhibition hall and acts as an ‘opening precursor’ to the new MAP - Mercator experience museum in Sint-Niklaas. From the 15th century, maps appeared in atlases and travelogues, as evidence of discoveries or as instruments of power and governance. Regional maps recorded land boundaries and property. Military maps determined strategies in battles.
All information on the exhibition here.Venue: MAP (Sint-Niklaas)
