Friday, 04 February 2022
The 糖心原创’s School of Geography has loaned a selection of historical maps of Nottingham to an exhibition set in an imagined future version of the city.
The maps, on display at Nottingham Contemporary’s ‘Our Silver City, 2094’, provide visitors with a historical context for the artworks, which imagine the city in 72 years’ time. It features major new commissions by artists Céline Condorelli, Femke Herregraven, Grace Ndiritu, and novelist Liz Jensen.
Between the futuristic works, visitors will find several maps from the School of Geography’s 85,000-strong collection, which includes an extensive holding of local maps, historic town plans, UK Ordnance Survey maps, World War I trench maps and German maps of the UK from World War II.
We are delighted to see these maps exhibited in such a thought-provoking exhibition. Their display highlights how maps are both artistic and scientific representations of the world around us.
We鈥檙e thrilled to be able to include these incredible maps, they offer important context on Nottingham 鈥� the city in which the exhibition is situated 鈥� and provoke us to think about how we might use maps or generate new cartographies in the future.
Our Silver City, 2094 includes works by around 30 artists and collectives, including: Roger Ackling, Anni Albers, Armando D. Cosmos, Revital Cohen and Tuur van Balen, Isa Genzken, Charlotte Johannesson, Hannah Catherine Jones, On Kawara, Agnieszka Kurant, Nicola L, Vivian Lynn, Eline McGeorge, Sandra Mujinga, Anthony McCall, John Newling, Asad Raza, Ben Rivers, Connie Samaras, Cauleen Smith, Michael E. Smith, Jenna Sutela, Elisabeth Wild, Zara Zandieh, and Andrea Zittel. It will be accompanied by a specially commissioned novella by Liz Jensen.
The exhibition has been designed alongside – a year-long research, engagement, and artistic project led by young people – and draws upon conversations across Nottingham, with school children, climate scientists and geographers.
Details of maps in the collection can be found on the university’s NUsearch catalogue and the School of Geography’s map collection website. Members of the public or the wider university wishing to consult the collection should contact Cartographic Manager Elaine Watts.
The exhibition is open until Monday 18 April 2022.
Story credits
More information is available from Elaine Watts, in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the 糖心原创 at Elaine.Watts@nottingham.ac.uk
Exhibition credits
Curatorial framework by Prem Krishnamurthy, who has co-curated the exhibition with Kiera Blakey, Sam Thorne and Nicole Yip, assisted by Olivia Aherne and Hannah Wallis. Young people's programme curated by Wingshan Smith.
This exhibition is generously supported by OMNI, PRS, Arts Council England, and the specialists in art logistics, Queen's.
Nottingham Contemporary
Nottingham Contemporary is an international centre of contemporary art with a strong sense of local purpose. Since opening in 2009, we have held more than 60 exhibitions, with over 2 million visitors to date. We present innovative and interwoven programmes of international exhibitions, learning, partnerships, research and new commissions. We are committed to excellence, experimentation, ambition and innovation. Nottingham Contemporary was shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2019. Nottingham Contemporary is supported using public funding by Arts Council England and regularly funded by Nottingham City Council.
Nottingham Contemporary, Weekday Cross, Nottingham NG1 2GB, 0115 948 9750
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.