Maps

A new exhibit opened at the New Kadath Lighthouse Art Gallery at the end of June. Entitled "Maps of Second Life: the Information and Art of Virtual Cartography," and curated by Professor Juliana Lethdetter, the exhibit displays a number of maps from throughout the history of the grid.



Outside, beside the door to the gallery, is a map of the Second Life Rail Road Traffic, by the Virtual Railway Consortium - real-time display of train locations:


The rest of the exhibit arranges the maps by subject matter, starting with a piece on the explorer Magellan Linden (pictures by Salazar Jack):


The display moves on to The Early Grid, showing the expansion of the Second Life landmasses:


Next are Regional Maps (Bay City, the Steamlands, Nautilus and the Blake Sea, Zindra):


The Historic Grid displays maps by Carl Metropolitan, Jack Linden, and Dyne Telemasca:


Finally, Maps from Groups shows maps from the Protected Route Interest Group, SL Coast Guard, the Railroads of Second Life, the 1920s Berlin Project, and the S.S. Galaxy:


I find maps to be endlessly fascinating, especially older maps, which are often important markers about noteworthy points in time. (My typist enjoyed a Christmas trip to Colonial Williamsburg, where the museum had an extensive exhibit on early maps of the United States, which showed the shifting political boundaries as the nation expanded westward.) Maps of Second Life displays some of the maps of historical significance on our grid, and is well worth a visit.