A road map in the glove compartment of your car. A travel map in your backpack. A world map on your wall, with pins poked in the countries you’ve visited.
For older generations, maps are more than just pieces of paper — they’re symbols of where we’ve been and where we might go. But as GPS and cell phones take over, is map-reading becoming a lost skill? In January, The Guardian reported that three-quarters of UK adults have trouble reading a map; and in 2019, even one of the inventors of the GPS navigating system lamented there was a drawback to his advancement.
“The fact is that people don’t know how to read maps anymore. I love maps,” said Professor Bradford Parkinson, according to Yahoo News.
It’s a concern shared by Brad Green, who, along with his partner Petra Thoms, owns the shop World of Maps in Ottawa.
Green estimates that the shop, which has run a successful business since 1994, has thousands of maps in stock, and tens of thousands more in its electronic library, ready to be printed.
“There is a bit of a risk of it becoming a lost skill,’ Green said of map reading. “And I think what you lose is the big picture.”
What a hyper-local phone map doesn’t necessarily give you is perspective, Green explained. For example, if you look from the Arctic Circle down, Canada borders on Greenland; if you look at a map of North America, Point Pelee, Ont., runs along the same latitude as Northern California.
Brad Green, co-owner of World of Maps in Ottawa, prints a Google Earth image in his shop. (Brad Green)
Green says he’s been interested in maps his whole life. He and Thoms started their store out of a love of travel — they met on the so-called “hippie trail” from Europe to India in the 1970s. To this day, when Green opens a map of India, he says he’s flooded with memories. The couple eventually settled in Ottawa after another world-wide trip, and started a travel store.
Business has been bustling ever since, even when COVID wreaked havoc on small businesses like theirs. What it comes down to is people love maps, Green said.
His customers vary in ages, from children to seniors. Some want outdoor maps for canoe trips, others want travel maps for their own journeys or historical maps for their collections.
“People wants maps for decoration, for information and for inspiration,” he said. “Maps are symbols, and symbols are powerful.”
A form of time travel
Maps are almost a form of time travel, explained George Bevan, an associate professor and active head of the geography and planning department at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., where he teaches an undergraduate course on the history of cartography.
Historic maps can preserve landscapes that might be lost, or reconstruct a neighbourhood that has long since changed, he said, noting that this is the reason librarians and researchers have been making a huge effort to digitize historic maps.
For many, maps also hold an element of nostalgia, Bevan said.
“The physical map has the same appeal, probably, as the vinyl record. It’s tactile, it’s there, it’s present — it’s not ephemeral.”
Fly over hidden designs carved into wetlands
For years there have been hidden designs carved into New Brunswick’s Tantramar Marsh, but with technology like drones and satellite mapping apps they’re visible to everyone.
But even with a decline in the use of paper maps and compasses (Bevan notes the concept of using a physical map is “pretty foreign” to his students) he argues the map itself is still very much alive.
In many ways, maps are more embedded in our day-to-day lives than they’ve ever been, he said, noting how much we all use GPS, satellite view and google maps. And in cartography, they tend to use geographical information systems — databases that produce dynamic maps. Online and dynamic maps are still maps, even if you can’t hold them.
“It would be very much like saying that because we no longer use film cameras, we’re not doing photography anymore. In fact, we’re doing more photography,” Bevan said.
“For sure, the map is still there, but the medium has certainly profoundly changed.”
Still, as map-reading becomes more digital, Bevan said he worries about the future of traditional knowledge, such as Inuit navigation and Polynesian star-mapping.
“That’s what we risk losing.”
A person explores a giant map of Canada during the United the Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal in December 2022. (Lars Hagberg/AFP/Getty Images)
‘It’s OK to get lost’
Adam Moxham, 41, of Innisfail, Alta., said he uses both digital and physical maps, and both have their place. On a recent camping trip with his wife and son, they used a physical map on the campsite. But for travel, they tend to use GPS.
“I like to know that we can use physical maps, in case there’s a power outage,” he said.
Moxham says he doesn’t know how he learned to read a map — it’s just a skill he’s always had.
But when asked what he likes about physical maps, he doesn’t hesitate: it’s their size. He likes that you don’t have to zoom in or out to get perspective.
And if you want to know where you are, you can just make a mark with a pencil. “It’s OK to get lost sometimes,” Moxham said.
Though he makes his living selling physical maps, Green says he does use digital maps for some purposes. Still, he says physical maps will always have one thing over the digital map experience.
“A map doesn’t run out of batteries.”
Brad Green, left, and Petra Thoms, co-owners of World of Maps in Ottawa, met on while travelling from Europe to India in the 1970s. To this day, when Green opens a map of India, he says he’s flooded with memories. (Brad Green)
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
