How do maps represent the world? What ontologies lie behind the seemingly objective design of world maps, and how can the world be imagined otherwise? These are some of many questions that Sherina Salla addresses in South is Up—On subjective worlds, alternative Earths, and map projections. In her text, Sherine looks at various world maps, from 12th-century Arabic maps based on oral tradition, to Medieval European cartography informed by the centering of Christianity, to contemporary explorations of bringing the earth’s spherical body to the flat surface of a map. We are very excited that the piece got republished as “Contemplations about map orientations” in the February newsletter of the Sign Design Society! The Sign Design Society is a platform that focuses on the design of information, and offers talks and publications across various disciplines includingtypography, products, architecture, translation technology, and mapping.
