The more I explore art whilst working in scientific publishing, the more I discover unexpected connections between science and art. At the weekend, I came across something really unusual when I visited the Arches Studios in Peckham. Walking randomly into one of the open studios, I stumbled into the fantastic cartography ceramics by Loraine Rutt.
A qualified cartographer before becoming an artist, Loraine beautifully combines two elements that wouldn’t normally go together: ceramics and maps. She builds them from scratch. She goes to the extent of using local clay from Peckham or Honor Oak to reproduce maps of local areas as they evolved over time. She works on layers, building the landscape from bottom to top. She draws on the clay.
Her experience as a cartographer gives her the confidence to produce such stunningly accurate work. You can see rivers, mountains, vales and all the elements you would expect in a traditional map. More than accurate, these works are beautiful.
She has also created a series of work about space, planets and the history of the landings on the moon.
Can science be more entwined with art than this?
Cartography and Ceramics? Yes, Please. The more I explore art whilst working in scientific publishing, the more I discover unexpected connections between science and art.
