Fuller (artist)

Fuller
Born Gareth Fuller
1980 (age 37–38)
London, United Kingdom
Known for

Pictorial Maps, Drawing, Cartography,

Maps, Psychogeography

Fuller (born 1980) is a British artist known for his intricate drawings and map art of cities and places that he explores. He drafts impressionistic "mind maps" of places where he has lived which he describes as "a collection of cartographical love letters".[1] Fuller is the pen name of Gareth Wood of London, United Kingdom[2] which is an old surname in his family.[3][4] Fuller, who says he has always enjoyed exploring and getting lost, observes contemporary culture and investigates urban existence through his art, while telling stories, provoking conversation and "celebrating the identity of places in all their glory".[5] Fuller became an Irish Citizen in 2018.[6]

Maps

London Town

London Town by Fuller (2015)
Detail taken from around the Limehouse Cut area in London Town by Fuller (2015)

Fuller's map of London, titled London Town, was drawn over a period of 10 years from 2005 to 2015.[4][5] It was drawn with black ink on archival board. While drawing, he explored the city by cycling and walking, documented his research with photographs, made extensive notes and studied existing maps.[7] London Town was unveiled in St Pancras railway station clock tower in London in 2015 and has been exhibited at the Royal College of Art, London.[4] London Town has been acquired by the British Library for the national map collection.[8]

Bristol

Bristol by Fuller (2014) hanging in the M Shed Museum in Bristol, United Kingdom

Fuller moved to Bristol in 2010 and completed his map of the city in 2014.[9] The artist left one of the several hot air balloons on the artwork blank and publicly solicited opinions from residents of the city as to what they thought should be depicted on it. After many suggestions, Fuller chose to include the Children of the 90s project (ALSPAC). He said it was a "tough decision" but he had chosen Bristol University's "unique" medical research project because "like many other curiosities on the map it contains a story which people share." Lynn Molloy, from Children of the 90s, said: "The Children of the 90s balloon has been an iconic symbol in Bristol for over 20 years, so it's great to see it so firmly 'on the map'." ,[9][10] It is currently on permanent display in Bristol's M Shed Museum.[3]

Beijing

Fuller's map of Beijing was unveiled in April 2018 at the Rosewood Hotel in Beijing's central business district.[11] The artwork then went on public display at ART Beijing, an annual contemporary art fair that takes place at the city's Agricultural Exhibition Center.[12] The artwork, which is simply titled Beijing, measures 1.2m x 1.5m and was drawn with black pigment ink on a cotton museum board.[11] When asked about his process, Fuller said: "It was especially important for me to capture Beijing's appetite to become a leading world technology hub and to adopt new technology. The network of canals on the map flow with binary code symbolizing data being shared in a smart city. In the north, I've included a vertical farm producing crops grown in nutrient rich soil. There is even a WeChat-spam sewage works."

Fuller first visited Beijing in 2014 for a cycle tour around the Great Wall of China [13] and returned in 2017.[2] He was based in Tongzhou district, researching and drawing the city.[14] Over the course of several months he walked 1,385 kilometres, working his way into the heart of the city from its outermost ring road.[15] This exploration of the city started in May 2017, when he spent 7 days walking approximately 220 km around Beijing's 6th Ring Road. Asked about his preparation for that journey, the artist responded: “The day I left I told a friend I had my flip flops and a bunch of bananas. That was close to the truth! My phone was my navigation tool." [16] The artist created a WeChat group, called #WalkInProgress whose members followed his expedition and shared tips.[2]

Notable collections

Editioned archival prints of Fuller's works have been added to numerous public and prestigious institutional collections. London Town has been acquired by the British Library for the national map collection[17] and by the Museum of London for their permanent collection. Tom Harper, curator of antiquarian maps at the British library called London Town “one of the most personal pieces of cartography I’ve ever seen”.[3]

Fuller's Bristol map has been acquired by Bristol Museum and Art Gallery for their historical map collection. The aim of this collection is to have a complete series of maps of the city. At present, the earliest map is Hoefnagle's 1581 map of Brightstowe and the latest is Fuller's 2014 map of Bristol.[18]

Other works

Duty Paid is a large scale collage work of flattened cigarette boxes. Fuller describes his piece as a “memento-mori”, saying “It’s actually an homage to the tobacco brands because there’s an element of nostalgia there”.[19]

Future works

When asked by Xinhua News Agency whether he would continue to live in China, Fuller responded: "I intend to spend time learning Mandarin and want to do this in another first tier city. Documenting this process - grasping a language through my art and geography - can be rather exciting, but I might have left it a bit late. I certainly see myself staying a while in China if 'Beijing' is a success, but other cities and other projects are calling. I've recently become an Irish citizen so a research trip in Dublin is also on the cards." [12]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ "Cool cartography: the art of mapmaking", The Guardian
  2. 1 2 3 "China Focus: A British artist's cartographic love letter to Beijing", Xinhua News Agency
  3. 1 2 3 Liz Lewis, "Artist Fuller's intricate hand-drawn maps accepted by Bristol and London museums", BBC News
  4. 1 2 3 Beth Rose, "The map of London that took 10 years to complete", BBC News
  5. 1 2 DJ Pangburn, "Chart London's Vibes on an Illustrated Psychogeographical Map", Vice Magazine
  6. ↑ ""Beijing" -- a British artist sketches future of Chinese capital - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  7. ↑ Greg Miller, "Hand-Drawn Map Captures the Frenetic Energy of London", Wired Magazine
  8. ↑ Liz Lewis, "Artist Fuller's intricate hand-drawn maps accepted by Bristol and London museums", BBC News
  9. 1 2 "Bristol artist creates hand-drawn maps of the city", BBC News
  10. ↑ "Bristol artist fills in empty balloon on hand-drawn map", BBC News
  11. 1 2 Tobin, Meg (01/05/2018). "The Mind Of Fuller: UK Artist Creates Map Of Beijing Unlike Any You've Seen". supchina. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. 1 2 ""Beijing" -- a British artist sketches future of Chinese capital". Xinhua. 28/04/2018. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ↑ "UK map artist circles Chinese capital". BBC News. 2018-04-29. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  14. ↑ Dominique Wong,"Artist Walks Sixth Ring Road to Create Monochromatic Map of Beijing", That's Beijing
  15. ↑ "Hand-drawn Beijing: electric cars and imaginary temples – in pictures". The Guardian. 2018-04-30. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  16. ↑ Laura Barber, "Artist Maps Beijing on Foot", Bristol 24/7
  17. ↑ "London Town", British Library
  18. ↑ "Bristol", Bristol Museums Galleries Archives
  19. ↑ Matilda Battersby, "An exploration of Cigarettes in art", The Independent
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