Notes for a People's Atlas

London, ON, Canada
Pop. 352,395
Long inhabited by indigenous people, the site of today’s London was first settled by whites at the beginning of the 19th century and incorporated as a village in 1826. The early wood settlements were destroyed in a fire and the village had to be rebuilt as a city in the 1850s. “The Forest City” grew tremendously in that period, with the relocation of the court and administration to London in the 1820s, the arrival of the military in the 1830s, and the railway in the 1850s. Waves of annexation of surrounding suburban areas in the 1960s-1990s made London one of the largest metropolitan areas in Ontario. Remnants of earlier eras still exist: London East, an eastern suburb, continues as its industrial center, Georgian cottages and other housing are popular, and many of the annexed villages still retain a “sense of place.” Outward growth created more expansive new subdivisions such as Westmount, Stoneybrook, and Pond Mills. There is a strong focus on education, health care, tourism, and manufacturing and economic activity centers on military vehicle production, medical research, insurance, and information technology.●      Project Dates: October 9, 2010 – January 2, 2011
●      Exhibition: Experimental Geography at Museum London
●      Collaborating Partners: Independent Curators International, Melanie Townsend
●      Notes: The maps were distributed to a children’s art class and visitors to the museum and in the Learning Lounge, an area of the gallery used for reading and education programs.