Walking in rings, drawing Beijing

WHAT: “Walking in rings, drawing Beijing” by Gareth Fuller

WHEN: Dec. 10, 2020 Thursday. from 1900-21:00 PM Beijing Standard Time

WHERE: Courtyard Institute, #28 Zhonglao Hutong, Beijing

MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: British artist Gareth Fuller walked over 1,350 km around Beijing, including a circumnavigation, to hand-draw his map of China’s capital. This work is part of the artist’s ‘Purposeful Wandering’ series, and perhaps the most extraordinary map of the city created in modern times.

The talk is a unique opportunity to join Gareth as he shares the stories behind the drawings in his Beijing map and reflects on the challenges and mishaps of drawing a megacity of this scale. He will introduce the process behind his work as both artist and explorer and why he’s drawn to document personal geographies in a world where digital mapping and storytelling have reshaped our experiences of places.

Fuller sets out to investigate the identity of places, depicting topographies and cultures through urban and rural exploration, extensive research, and local knowledge. His fascination with maps and the natural world stems from the boy-scouts led him to mountain leadership awards and high- altitude trails. Early in his career, he worked on film and event productions from the Venezuelan Amazon to Siberia.

Fuller’s celebrated map London Town was almost immediately acquired by the British Library and, shortly after, the Museum of London for their permanent collections. In addition to London, he has made maps of Bristol and Pyongyang. Beijing is currently on display at The British Ambassador’s Residence, China. His Bristol map is on permanent display at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery (UK), and he has exhibited at the likes of Art Beijing, the Royal College of Art, and the Royal Institute of British Architects.

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Gareth Fuller (b.1980) is of British and Irish heritage. He is an artist and explorer who studies the identity and culture of places through what he describes as “maps of the mind,” with a particular focus on our emotional connection to place and its inherent phenomenology. He is best known for his on-going series ‘Purposeful Wanderings’: a decades-long journey, both physical and creative, to document his understanding of the world through his art. Popular pieces in the series include London Town (2005-2015), Bristol (UK) (2014), Beijing (2018), and Pyongyang (2019). His prints have been acquired by The British Library, Museum of London, and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery for their permanent collections. garethfuller.art

HOW MUCH: This event is free and exclusively for members of the RASBJ and other RAS branches. If you know someone who wants to join the RASBJ, ask them to sign up via the membership section of our website.

HOW TO JOIN THIS EVENT: Email [email protected] to register for the in person talk. Seating will be limited. For the Zoom version, please read the section below: