The Map Project by ECA Illustrators 2019 is our current collaboration with The Edinburgh College of Art! We love to showcase the up and coming talent Edinburgh has to offer – so we invited the Final Year Illustrators to exhibit their imaginative magic at The Red Door Gallery!
This year we are proud to present our ‘Maps’ Project. The students were given free reign and encouraged to use their imagination and interpret the title ‘Maps’ in any way they liked! And the results are wonderful! The selection of designs are beautifully varied and inspired. Ranging from literary, informative, fantastical, scenic to humorous.
This is the Moon Calendar by Seobhan Hope – a lovely balance between the spiritual and the practical. This A3 risograph print will allow you to keep track of the mysterious comings and goings of the moon which sometimes creeps about the night sky, and other times reigns supreme. We’ve been treated to so many super moons recently, it’d be great to know exactly when the next one is… well now we can thanks to Seobhan!
A great take on the map theme by Amy Moss, the Map Readers A3 risograph print. The classic battle with directions that we’ve all fought at some point. A sense of direction is key to get to where we’re going but orienteering often doesn’t come naturally. But maybe getting a little lost along the way isn’t such a bad thing? By stepping off the beaten track, or following a path that swerves in an odd direction – we may see something surprising!
The Food & Drink of Scotland by Annie Adam – a very tasty map indeed! Find food favourites such as Shortbread, Teacakes, the Full Scottish Breakie, Salmon and Haggis – Yum! Then look again to find classic quenchers like Irn-Bru, Hendicks Gin, Malt Whiskey, Botanist Gin and Brew Dog IPA – Yes! Never forget the tastes of Scotland with this A3 map of memorable munchies!
A trip to Edinburgh Zoo is a popular thing to do when you’re in Edinburgh – it is well known for its daily Penguin walk and popular Pandas! This A3 screenprint by Alice Horn is a cheerful illustration that has a ‘yay, we’re all off to the Zoo’ vibe! Her feel-good Edinburgh Zoo Map plots many of the animal residents living side by side and uses a lovely colour palette to create a bright and cheerful print!
We’re very excited to have an etching among the ECA contributions! This is an A3 etching print of Victoria Street by Katrine Lyck and is a limited edition of 50. A key and central street on any city map of Edinburgh, Victoria Street is a very popular tourist hot spot! Lyck’s print captures a very different feel by illustrating Victoria Street by night where it seems a very still and peaceful place. Streets become very different in the dark – maybe we need nocturnal maps to guide us during these secretive hours?
Craig McEwan has created his map based upon the world of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. This recognisable silhouette of Count Olaf is also dotted with various symbols to indicate key locations and moments integral to the book’s adventures! McEwan has also created accompanying prints that bring other moments of Unfortunate Events to illustrative life – including The Incredibly Deadly Viper, which we’ll keep a close eye on!
Otty Pascoe has created a large (approx 63.4 x 46.1 cm) screenprint. Her Forth Rail Hotel print has a movie poster feel with its combination of bold type and collage imagery. Railways have a strong association with big screen adventures and there have been many epic railway journeys such as The Darjeeling Limited and The Lady Vanishes. Railways can be plotted and explored – they are their own maps! Pascoe’s print has the potential to become its own railway classic, look out for the Forth Rail Hotel in cinema’s soon!
The Cat Sith by Julia Rowe is an A4 print. The illustration depicts the mythological ‘king of cats’, a spectral cat that haunts the highlands! It could be a fairy, it could be a witch – but if you’re a lone traveller you may just spot this creature of Scottish folklore. But be wary if it tries to lure you off the path, the people of the Scottish highlands never have trusted this cat!
The Fantasy Map by Isabelle Bacon – does this place exist? Maybe! Bacon has taken us on a detailed trip about a strange and charming place in this A3 print. With local hot spots such as Jenny’s Swamp, Large Pile of Logs and Cornucopia it’s a ‘must-visit’ destination. We hope that Bacon will be available for a couple of guided tours around this pretty in pink land – and share some fun facts about her mysterious world!
This A3 print has been hand finished with gold and is Dante’s Inferno by Heather Charters – the first part of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Charters has illustrated Dante’s journey through the nine concentric circles of Hell as described by the ancient Roman poet Virgil (Dante’s guide). There is a mighty eye for detail in this illustration with varied and inventive ways of retelling this epic poem of classic Italian literature.
Edinburgh Wanderers by Rosie Leech is a simple and elegant A3 screenprint. With shapes and symbols that float calmly about two figures as they inevitably rendezvous somewhere in Edinburgh town. There is a sense of inner knowledge about this print. It captures the point in which a city becomes inherently familiar and you can simply tell where you are by even the subtlest of surroundings – you never feel far from comfort and friends!
You’ve followed your map, reached your destination, set up camp and now ready for the wild camping wonderment to begin! Campers by Amy Steele is a gloriously colourful A3 print illustrating a camp site paradise. Scotland is a great place for escaping the urban environment and pitching a tent in a remote and beautiful landscape! By taking some pals you’re guaranteed to have a brilliant time out in the wild – whatever the weather!
Zissou by Charlotte Henderson is an A3 print based on the film Life Aquatic by director Wes Anderson. This illustration simply and effectively maps out the character of Steve Zissou (played by the legendary Bill Murray) with key items and moments from the film. A true fan of Life Aquatic will be able to list each item and its significance to the film and character – the rest of us may have to re-watch this great film to recognise the objects – and we wouldn’t mind!
Climbing Trees by Sarah Parker is a lovely A5 print that begins us on a wee explorer’s journey to a secret world through the trees. Reminiscent of the Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, we are excited to discover whereabouts this adventurer is off too. This is certainly an illustration to spark the imagination and we hope that there are more to follow as the tale of this adventurer continues!
Most of this year’s illustrators have contributed more than one print to the Maps Project, currently on display in our gallery – so if you’d like to see more of what these fantastic final years have to offer, why not pop in or check out their page on our website! We can’t wait to see them at this year’s ECA Degree Show 2019, and we wish them the best of luck! 🙂