Welcome to the sixth instalment of this series exploring how my art interacts with the science of recognition. Click here to view the rest of the article series.
While famous landmarks dominate our visual memory, recognition extends far beyond them. The shape of a street, the curve of a river, or even the layout of a neighbourhood can hold deep personal or cultural significance. Abstract mapping explores how we mentally navigate these spaces and how memory, experience, and association allow us to recognise places without iconic structures.
How We Recognise Places Without Landmarks
Recognition isn’t limited to famous landmarks. Entire landscapes, streets, and cityscapes hold deep emotional meaning and can be instantly recognisable, even in abstracted forms.
The street where you grew up, a park where something significant happened, or a road you travel every day—these places become ingrained in your memory, forming personal landmarks that may be meaningless to others but are unmistakable to you.
Our brains rely on spatial awareness, patterns, and pathways to navigate the world. Even when details are stripped away, the essence of a place often remains intact. In my work, I explore this idea by reducing spaces to their most fundamental structures while still evoking their emotional and visual significance.
Personal places become landmarks in our mental maps, even if they seem unremarkable to others.
A city skyline might trigger nostalgia for someone who once lived there, even when shown in abstract form.
The layout of streets, pathways, and negative space all contribute to place recognition, even with minimal detail.
Abstract Mapping and the Power of Minimalism
Maps are one of the most universally understood ways of representing space. Traditional maps focus on detail, showing roads, rivers, and buildings, but abstract maps take a different approach. By focusing on form, flow, and spatial relationships rather than precise geography, they challenge our ability to recognise places with minimal visual cues.
This is central to my artistic process. I strip locations down to essential shapes, symbols, and pathways, reducing the noise while preserving their identity. The London Underground map, designed by Harry Beck, is a perfect example of this—by ignoring strict geographical accuracy in favour of clarity, it remains one of the most recognisable transit maps in the world.
My art applies similar principles, playing with abstraction to test how little information is needed for recognition.
The Emotional Connection to Spaces
Recognition isn’t just about what we see—it’s about what we feel. A city skyline might trigger nostalgia for someone who once lived there. A particular street layout may remind someone of a past trip or a meaningful moment. The emotional weight of places strengthens their recognisability, making even abstract representations deeply personal.
This connection is something I tap into in my work. By distilling places into minimal forms, I aim to spark recognition in ways that are both personal and universal. My pieces invite viewers to complete the image in their minds, filling in the blanks with their own experiences and memories.
Abstract representations allow for personal interpretation, making the artwork feel unique to each viewer.
The interplay of memory and form helps create a lasting impression, even when the image is highly simplified.
Recognising a place in its most stripped-back form can evoke powerful emotions tied to personal experiences.
The Power of Symbolic Representation
Even without direct depiction, certain shapes and structures act as visual shorthand for places. A silhouette of a winding Thames, a grid of streets, or a coastline can be just as recognisable as a famous monument.
Silhouettes of city layouts evoke place recognition without showing individual buildings.
Symbols of transit systems (such as the London Underground map) serve as cultural icons in their own right.
Natural boundaries like coastlines, lakes, or mountain ranges define regions and become ingrained in identity.
Through abstraction, I explore how much of a place can be removed while still retaining recognisability. My goal is to create art that taps into both personal and collective spatial memories.
Conclusion: Beyond Landmarks – Recognising the Essence of Place
Just as we recognise famous landmarks, we also navigate and recall personal spaces through shape, structure, and emotional significance. Abstract mapping plays with these elements, reducing places to their most essential features while still triggering recognition. My work embraces this challenge, exploring how memory and form interact to create a deeper understanding of place.
In the next chapter, we’ll explore how symbols and iconography influence recognition and memory. Stay tuned!
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