Atlas of the Invisible
I don’t wear socks very much, which is good, because I’d never get a pair for Christmas. From an early age we encouraged our family to give small, well considered and meaningful gifts, rather than potential landfill.
So I was very proud and pleased when my daughter this year gave me a book entitled Atlas of the Invisible. It’s by James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti It’s a visually striking exploration of the hidden data and forces that shape the world around us. It maps out phenomena that typically remain out of sight, using data visualisation techniques to bring them to life. These "invisible" elements include everything from air pollution and traffic congestion to digital flows and the movement of viruses.
I love a good map.. and these ones are next level, uncovering patterns that govern our environment and society. Its particular strength lies in its ability to show things that are hard to see, yet profoundly affect us, such as economic flows, environmental changes, and social inequalities.
Here are a couple of examples with a maritime/oceanographic bent. (click to enlarge)
But It’s not all about the sea. It portrays social and societal issues that we wouldn’t necessarily see as “visual”…. A particular favourite of mine (‘though favourite is not the right word) is how we could “map” misogyny.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, an internationally funded non profit, keeps a database of political violence and protests in more than 150 countries and territories, sourcing reports from international media and partners on the ground they log dates, locations and participants for millions of events. These starbursts represent events that specifically targeted women in 2019, grouped by tactic and coloured by continent. Sexual violence was most prevalent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Shootings riddled Mexico and Brazil; Human Rights petitioners frequently disappeared in China and Indian women were most likely to be victims of mob violence. Fears of backlash, legal restrictions and psychological trauma can lead to underreporting the true totals are likely to be higher than even the most robust data collection efforts can reveal. (click to enlarge)
I asked Chat GTP the word for someone who loves maps. This is what he/she/it replied
“A person who loves maps is called a cartophile. It comes from the Greek words "chartis" (map) and "philos" (loving). So, a cartophile is someone who has a strong passion or interest in maps.”
If like me, you turned out to be a cartophile, with an interest in how the world really works, then you could do worse than to get your hands on a copy of “Atlas of the Invisible” .
ISBN: 9781846149719
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Pages: 224
Authors:James Cheshire & Oliver Uberti
RRP: $45AU