Bristol artist, Gareth Wood, creates hand drawn maps of Bristol
Posted on: 11 Apr 2014Bristol artist, Gareth Wood, is close to completing his intricate, hand drawn maps of Bristol. Having moved to Bristol in 2010, Gareth set out to map the city. His maps, though, are individual, hand drawn maps featuring images drawn in black ink and mounted on white boards. He said he wants his maps to "connect with the viewer on a personal level".
Gareth gets his inspiration for his maps by walking and cycling around Bristol and stopping and talking to locals. So far, Gareth's maps have taken him more than 500 hours work and three years of effort to get to the point of almost being complete.
The maps include famous landmarks such as the Clifton Suspension Bridge as well as less touristy areas of Bristol such as Montpelier and Stokes Croft.
Gareth has been interested in exploring since he was a child. Now, 33 years old, he says "The things you see in the map are not a perfect representation of what is there. The places, objects and subjects are selected through all types of reasoning. It could be a reoccurring theme or conversation that I've had with certain people that makes me decide that something should be drawn,". "It often connects with people on a personal level, telling stories, opening conversations and provoking a variety of thoughts in the viewer,"
Gareth wants to make the map a two-way conversation and has left one of the hot air balloons "empty" as it floats across the city. He's asking Bristolians what they think should be inside it. He said: "The city belongs to everybody and I'm looking for ideas for the final balloon." You can submit your suggestion on his Facebook Page here.
Gareth's maps will be unveiled at It's All 2 Much gallery in Stokes Croft on 31 May. For more information about his work please visit www.fullermaps.com.
Bristol - by Fuller from Fuller on Vimeo.