Map art from real data
Welcome to a world of colourful abstraction, where we turn the familiar contours of our everyday surroundings into something singular. Our map artworks capture the essence of places and celebrate them with a vivid spectrum of colour that pleases the eye and moves the soul. Each piece is more than decoration, it is a tribute to the places we love or still carry with us.
Whether at art and design fairs or in our online shop, our distinctive prints resonate with a wide audience. They reflect local character and bring a fresh note to any room through their abstract beauty.
The process
Four steps to a map
Step 01
To build the foundation of our artworks, we start by collecting street data, the arteries of our city maps. We source it from OpenStreetMap (OSM) via the Overpass API, a powerful query platform that lets us extract specific information about street networks in any region. The precision and currency of OSM data allow us to generate a detailed, authentic street network.
Step 02
Once all the street data is collected, the cleaning and processing phase begins. Here we apply various algorithms to remove inconsistencies such as 'dangles', which are dead ends or unconnected ends in the street network, and strip out anything unwanted. This ensures only the relevant data carries into the next phase.
Step 03
After cleaning, we move on to integrating the water bodies. We extract all relevant data on rivers, lakes and other waters from the Overpass API as well. This information is merged with the street data, producing a complex web of streets and waterways, a 'spider's web' that illustrates the urban and natural arteries of the landscape.
Step 04
The final step is subtracting the combined street and water network from a defined land mass. This separates the individual areas and forms a variety of polygons. Each polygon represents its own area, which we then colour in. For the colours we use a predefined palette of eight fixed tones, to achieve a harmonious yet random result. What comes out is an abstract, colourful artwork that captures the singularity of the urban landscape.