This newly-commissioned body of work showcases fantastical cityscapes created by artist in residence Michael Takeo Magruder. Traditional materials combine with cutting–edge digital technologies to remix images and live data from the Library’s digital collection of historic urban maps into fictional cityscapes for the Information Age.

Explore four technology-based art installations, exclusively created using images and metadata of 19th-century city maps. Each artwork combines contemporary digital technologies and traditional analogue processes. Algorithmically generated imagery and real-time virtual environments are used next to precious metal gilding and historical woodworking techniques. Shown alongside maps from our digital archive and original source books, the exhibition highlights how the Library is not simply a repository of knowledge, but a storehouse of creative potential that is constantly generating new avenues for culture.

Supported by the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library

Image courtesy of Michael Takeo Magruder