The Grand Atlas of Canterbury
A
A community arts project with
The Canterbury People’s Map – a map of Canterbury only made possible with the creative input from local residents and visitors to The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, where I was the artist in residence between May and August 2015
2.5x1.50m drawn with permanent markers and coloured pencils on 250gsm paper backed on linen
I have made this map of Canterbury with multiple authors, with multiple viewpoints and interests, with decisions about what is included led by the people who are growing up, living, working or visiting Canterbury. Truly A Peoples Map
The Grand Atlas of Canterbury Contents: Forward The making of the Map The Cathedral and grounds High street and shopping Heritage: museums and galleries Eating out
Public green spaces Transport links and parking
Canterbury Braun & Hogenberg, 1588-97.
digital map available online 2017
Forward: I believe the role of the artist as a chronicler of change is important, and recording local events, changing landscapes, histories and stories is a traditional role for the artist. I viewed this as an opportunity to really engage with Cartography as a subject and experiment with different ways of making maps. The outcome of this project was to reveal personal histories and stories and how residents of Canterbury see the city they live in.
I have used maps for research and the basis for many of my community and public arts projects for several years. I believe maps do tell stories, they show and describe journeys, they chronicle events and show diverse cultural, social and economic landscapes. They represent knowledge, they are a recording devise which represents ideas, dreams and show action and endeavors.
The Making of the Map Made with members of the public who visited the Beany during a series of drop in workshops
Young and old working together deciding where things are, and what happens in Canterbury and included a community walk through the city
The Cathedral and Grounds
Access to the Cathedral grounds are restricted and no one knew what was behind the high stone walls until a member of the clergy visited the museum and was able to indicate the layout which included an unexpended herb garden
High Street and shopping
Poundland was drawn by a young girl who was very excited that she was going shopping there with her mother later that morning. Her drawing was an imaginary shopping visit visualising walking through the shop with her basket. The importance of this shopping trip is revealed by the scale which makes Poundland about the same size as the Cathedral
High Street and shopping
Nasons is an old fashioned department store often has buskers playing outside, it is a labyrinth inside with departments on many floors and around many corners. Someone has shown the Waterstones Café loyalty scheme card ‘thank you for loving books as much as we do.’
Heritage: museums and galleries
Canterbury Castle where someone has labelled themselves the Queen in the middle of a siege , The Marlow Theatre has a new rainbow roof which is an interpretation of the exterior lighting, Westgate Halls has bunting outside, the Odeon Cinema looks like it was built on the site where the gallows used to be just outside the city walls and the Cathedral was actually drawn by a French teenager on a day trip to the city with a school group.
Heritage: museums and galleries
It looks like the Westgate Towers, now a museum look as if they were built in 1380, The commercial Lilford Art Gallery sells contemporary artworks next door a chocolate cafĂŠ or was the chocolate cafĂŠ an exhibit on show? Curzon Cinema next door to Westgate Halls which has a varied programme of events
Heritage: museums and galleries
St. Augustine's Abbey a World Heritage Site, The popular Beaney Museum, The Roman Museum, Canterbury Heritage Museum, St. Martins Church is the oldest used church with a congregation in the country and Canterbury even has a Tate Gallery‌ apparently?
Eating out
Tiny Tim’s has live music and a pianist who plays the grand piano there, Wetherspoon's pub The Thomas Ingoldsby was a pen name for a series of legends and ghost stories written by The Rev. Richard Harris Barham. The Goods-shed provides the sustainable healthy option, with tables and chairs outside in the summer, also has a popular famers market as well
Eating out
Chom Chom a very popular special Chinese Restaurant or there is fast food from Berger King. CafĂŠ Rouge is where straggling French teenagers detached from their group are collected at the end of the day reunited with their friends and it looks like Pizza Express has been drawn in the wrong place and labelled as not in this car park
Public green spaces
Green spaces play an important role for the residents of any city with one person indicating with an orange line their walk from the station to where they work through all the parks and green areas. There is a small nature reserve with plans to build an urban ‘sustainable living’ visitors centre.
Public green spaces
The river Stour runs along the side of Westgate Gardens and shows the annual rubber duck race along the river. Dane John Gardens is a popular city centre green space with a high earth worth mound with a memorial on the top.
Transport links and parking
Canterbury East Railway Station is close the Chemistry night club. The coach and bus terminal is by the bike shop and it appears that Adam works there.
Transport links and parking
The other train station is Canterbury West next to the Goods-Shed and farmers market. Their are many car parks in Canterbury and we know the My Ringo payment system uses no.4751 for Pound Lane car park.