Mapping the City (and some February goals)

I have a thing about maps - world maps, old maps, illustrated maps, maps of imaginary places, planetary maps. I used to love drawing maps when I was little (you know, and making them look old by soaking them in tea) and I can be lost for ages poring over a detailed atlas. I think it has something to do with the connotations of journey and exploration, they give me the good kind of butterflies. So, given my penchant for maps, the title of this exhibition was enough to draw me in. It's comprised of an incredibly varied assortment of "maps" (in inverted comas as about two out of the 50 resembled anything like traditional map). Many were linked to where the artists (graffiti and street artists that is) lived or had lived or somewhere that held personal importance. Below are some of my favourites. I'd definitely recommend a visit if you find yourself near Somerset House. It's free and on till the 15th of Feb.

Barcelona by Sixe Paredes

Cabott Square, Canary Wharf by Will Sweeney

Paris Verticale by Honet

Mi mundo/Meine Welt by Martin Tibabuzo 

(The story behind this one was interesting. The artist began to lose his memory in the early 2000s and was advised by doctors to undertake memory exercises,  to create timelines and 'mind maps' which he then turned into artistic projects. This is the world as he remembers it.)

Tag Manhattan by Momo 

(A continuous drip of paint across Manhattan spelling out the artist's name to create one of the world's longest of tags. Pretty cool, huh?)

And now for some goals for the month. My Jan ones weren't entirely successful but that's cool, I can always try again in Feb :)

1. Dye my hair. It's not been done since the wedding (nearly six months ago) so you can imagine the roots I'm sporting.
2. Book a doctors appointment.
3. Transfer ISA account.
4. Make a skirt from the red fabric bought at the knitting & stitching show.
5. Find blue tapestry wool to finish my auntie and uncle's Christmas present (I really am the worst present giver ever).
6. Have people over for dinner. Mitch and I have been v.lucky in that a number of our friends have invited us for dinner over the last couple of months. Living in my parents' house makes me feel like we can't return the favour but sod it, I want to do it at least once.
7. Continue with the weekly badminton session.
8. Ebay the large-ish pile of clothes that I've been putting aside. Let's face it, I could do with with the cash. Being unemployed is poor.
9. Bake a cake. I've not done any baking in forever.
10. Get a job, obvs.