I’ve always had a fascination for maps and architecture.

As a self taught artist, I dabbled for a few years with various mediums, oil, pastel, acrylic, lead graphite, etc. (MIXED MEDIA)

It was in 2009, that I began a series of cities seen from the space. 

The first series, entitled INDUSTRIAL SOUNDS, which is directly inspired by the electronic music of Detroit, is an allegory to the economic downturn. But also a metaphor for the city’s resilience in the face of an economic crisis that it had endured.

In the second series, GRID ZONE, I abandoned colour and I returned to a minimalist version of art. Paper, rotring and black Indian ink are the main features of my work. The black Indian ink areas represent vegetation, parks, gardens, and woodland. I wanted to highlight the social disparities between the north and the south, between vulnerable neighbourhoods of high density, concrete sprawl devoid of nature and the open, leafy and well heeled historic districts. 

I came up with  the idea of a map as a device for representing economic and social disparities in order to revisit and reread the city’s outline. A space built by men for men, where nature no longer has its place.

Recurring themes that inspire my work are science fiction, dystopia, over population, hyper urbanism, architecture and ecology.

Emily Sirgent.