What’s Your Map?
- Episodes
- 46
- Released
- every two weeks
- Latest episode
- Nov 11, 2026
About the podcast
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Winner of the Gold award at the British Podcast Awards 2025 in the Education category!
Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton, as in each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Follow the official Instagram @oculimundimaps to learn more about the collection.
For press enquiries, contact [email protected]
Episodes 46
S6 Ep6: A Shared World with Elif Shafak
In this special episode, Jerry will be joined by acclaimed British-Turkish author Elif Shafak. On the podcast they discuss not one, but two pivotal early maps: a surviving fragment of a 450 year old map by …
Show notes
In this special episode, Jerry will be joined by acclaimed British-Turkish author Elif Shafak. On the podcast they discuss not one, but two pivotal early maps: a surviving fragment of a 450 year old map by Ottoman admiral and cartographer Piri Reis, and a remarkable 6th century Babylonian tablet map of the cosmos - the earliest recorded map of the World as seen from above.
Tune in to hear their discussion about curiosity of the unknown, fluid borders, multi-belongings, shared spaces, and the unrecorded silences in history. We also learn about how these two ancient maps and other geographical works of art and literature have inspired Elif’s writings.
Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/podcast/elif-shafak
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image detail: Piri Reis Map (1513), public domain. Elif Shafak portrait courtesy of Curtis Brown.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S6 Ep5: Waldseemüller: Armchair Explorer with Chet Van Duzer
Jerry speaks to esteemed map historian and author Chet Van Duzer. As well as having written many books on maps and map motifs, Chet is the Associate Director of the Lazarus Project at the University of …
Show notes
Jerry speaks to esteemed map historian and author Chet Van Duzer. As well as having written many books on maps and map motifs, Chet is the Associate Director of the Lazarus Project at the University of Rochester, which brings multispectral imaging - a technology for recovering information from damaged manuscripts - to cultural institutions around the world
In this episode, Jerry and Chet discuss a monumental world map from 1516 that has been subject to an indepth investigation by Chet: Martin Waldseemüller’s Carta Marina. Published just nine years after his landmark 1507 map of the world (known as the ‘birth certificate of America’), the Carta Marina is an extraordinary map that exists in one surviving copy at the Library of Congress.
Together Jerry and Chet talk about why Waldseemüller revised his world map so thoroughly, what sources he used and why. We also hear about how Chet himself became immersed in the world of maps, and how his current role as Director of the Lazarus Project sees him shining a (multi-spectral) light on some great cartographic mysteries.
Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/chet-van-duzer
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image detail: Public Domain, via the Library of Congress. Portrait courtesy of Chet Van Duzer.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S6 Ep4: At Doom’s Gate with John Romero
In this episode, Jerry will be joined by pioneer of the video game industry John Romero. John is best known as a co-founder of id Software, and responsible for designing over 130 games, including the iconic …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry will be joined by pioneer of the video game industry John Romero. John is best known as a co-founder of id Software, and responsible for designing over 130 games, including the iconic Wolfenstein 3D (1992), DOOM (1993) and Quake (1996) - to name but a few!
Together, Jerry and John will be stepping into the map of ‘Hangar E1M1’, the legendary opening level from his iconic 1993 first-person shooter DOOM. John's groundbreaking cartographic creations and level design principles for the game represented a pivotal gamechanger for digital spatial mapping.
They discuss how introducing non-linear layouts, and intricate floor plans and even the access through to other in-game environments, John’s work fundamentally shifted game design away from simple two-dimensional mazes, resulting in the vastly increased architectural complexity and immersive spatial design seen in modern 3D video game environments.
Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/john-romero
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image detail: ©1993 id Software, Inc./John Romero
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S6 Ep3: Rounding the Cape with Patricia Seed
In this episode, Jerry meets with Patricia Seed, an American professor of history at the University of California, Irvine. Patricia has spent her career mapping the earliest voyages of European ‘discovery’ that …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry meets with Patricia Seed, an American professor of history at the University of California, Irvine. Patricia has spent her career mapping the earliest voyages of European ‘discovery’ that transformed our world. Specialising in the history of cartography and navigation, she is an authority on latitude!
Together they discuss the ‘Ulm Ptolemy’, a landmark world map in The Sunderland Collection, so called for its inclusion in ‘Cosmographia’ (1482) which was published in Ulm by Lienhart Holle and based directly on the geography of Claudius Ptolemy (2nd Century CE).
This map was created six years before the Portuguese rounded the tip of Africa in 1488 and offers a fascinating snapshot on the eve of a global revolution. Using the map as a touchstone, Patricia and Jerry will talk about the key developments in late fifteen-century maritime navigation and the significance of voyages by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias (1450-1500).
We also hear from Patricia about how this brought about a whole new world view and acted as the catalyst for one of the darkest periods of world history - the Transatlantic slave trade.
Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/patricia-seed
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image detail: ©The Sunderland Collection
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S6 Ep2: Mapping Albion with Zakia Sewell
In this episode, host Jerry sits down with broadcaster, producer, writer and DJ, Zakia Sewell. Together they discuss her latest book, Finding Albion, which chronicles her journey across the British Isles to …
Show notes
In this episode, host Jerry sits down with broadcaster, producer, writer and DJ, Zakia Sewell. Together they discuss her latest book, Finding Albion, which chronicles her journey across the British Isles to explore its seasonal myths, enduring legends, and deep-rooted rituals.Zakia shares the map featured in the book, created with artist Alex Merry - a playful illustrative map of England, Scotland and Wales pinpointing the sites encountered on her quest to find folkloric Albion. Jerry and Zakia also take a look at an early seventeenth century work in the Ex Carta collection of literary maps: ‘Poly Olbion’ by Michael Drayton (1613), an allegorical poem about England and Wales which is accompanied by a series of whimsical copper-engraved county maps.
Tracing back to fourth-century BCE Greek geographers, 'Albion' is recorded as the earliest name for Britain. The term traditionally translates to 'white land' (derived from the Latin 'albus') which the Romans attributed to Dover's striking chalk cliffs, but as Zakia reveals, the name carries another origin story!
Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/zakia-sewell
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image detail: Map of Albion ©Alex Merry/Zakia Sewell. Image courtesy of the Artist, and Hodder Press.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S6 Ep1: Travelling Backwards with Jost Schmid
In the first episode of series six, Jerry speaks with Dr. Jost Schmid, the Head of Maps and Panoramas at the Zentralbibliothek Zürich (Zürich Central Library). Jost is a specialist in historical geography and …
Show notes
In the first episode of series six, Jerry speaks with Dr. Jost Schmid, the Head of Maps and Panoramas at the Zentralbibliothek Zürich (Zürich Central Library). Jost is a specialist in historical geography and this year marks his 20th year working at the Library! He has chosen a 500-year-old map that is both one of the earliest printed maps bound into a bible and the first map to be printed in Zürich, Switzerland.
The map, which has been printed in mirror image, depicts the biblical stories of the Old Testament set in the Holy Land - a region in Western Asia covering modern-day Syria, Palestine and Israel, and parts of Jordan and Egypt. Crafted by Swiss humanist scholar, cartographer and prominent figure in the Protestant Reform Joachim Vadian (1484-1551), this remarkable map draws directly from a six-sheet original by Renaissance painter and printmaker Lucas Cranach the Elder (1473-1553). Printed by the renowned Swiss publisher Christopher Froschauer (1490-1564) for inclusion in his 1515 Bible, it stands as one of three known surviving copies!
In their conversation, Jost and Jerry explore the convergence of real and fantastical cartography, maps of sacred spaces, and the emergence and evolution of borders in early mapmaking. They also discuss the imaginary realms depicted in legendary tales, and how maps served as useful tools on metaphysical pilgrimages or journeys.
Follow along with this episode at oculi-mundi.com/jost-schmid
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image detail: ©Zentralbibliothek Zurich
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
What's Your Map? Live at Hay Festival: David Olusoga, Emma Jane Unsworth and Tim Marshall
In this special episode, live from Hay Festival 2026, Jerry was joined by former diplomatic editor at Sky News and author Tim Marshall; award winning historian, broadcaster and author David Olusoga OBE; and …
Show notes
In this special episode, live from Hay Festival 2026, Jerry was joined by former diplomatic editor at Sky News and author Tim Marshall; award winning historian, broadcaster and author David Olusoga OBE; and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter and novelist Emma Jane Unsworth.
To explore the maps as you listen visit Oculi-Mundi.com/wym-live-hay-2026
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Producer: Emma Jones (Hay Festival)
Recording: George Tarplee (Hay Festival)
Technical: Nia Thomson, Lewis Jones (Hay Festival)
Music: Eric de Broche des Combes
Animation: João "Daxter" Pinheiro Camacho
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection, Hay Festival or Whistledown Productions.S5 Ep8: Here Be Dragons! The plot thickens with Cressida Cowell
In this episode we have a roar-some treat: our intrepid host Jerry Brotton journeys to the legendary Barbaric Archipelago with best-selling children's author and illustrator Cressida Cowell.Cressida’s chosen …
Show notes
In this episode we have a roar-some treat: our intrepid host Jerry Brotton journeys to the legendary Barbaric Archipelago with best-selling children's author and illustrator Cressida Cowell.
Cressida’s chosen map shows the landscape she created for her acclaimed children’s series, How to Train Your Dragon (2009-2015), which charts the adventures of the young Viking, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and his dragons Toothless and Windwalker. This map comes from her latest book How To Train Your Dragon School: Fight of the Flamestrike (June 2026).
We hear about Cressida's childhood summers spent on the wild and remote Scottish island of Little Colonsay, off the Isle of Mull. She reflects on the creative process - the joy of getting lost and the act of creation - and we hear about some of the influential literary maps that shape her creative vision… we also learn a spot of Dragonese!
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/cressida-cowell
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image detail: ©Cressida Cowell / Hachette UK
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S5 Ep7: Sea Queens and Desert Ants: Celestial Navigation with David Barrie
In this episode, Jerry meets master navigator, sailing expert and award-winning author David Barrie. Together, they discuss a British Admiralty chart of the North Atlantic Ocean that tracks David’s incredible …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry meets master navigator, sailing expert and award-winning author David Barrie. Together, they discuss a British Admiralty chart of the North Atlantic Ocean that tracks David’s incredible 1973 Transatlantic voyage aboard a 35-foot yacht named Sæcwen, from Halifax in Nova Scotia east across the Ocean to Falmouth in Cornwall, UK
We learn about David’s fascination with celestial navigation and the remarkable optical instrument called a sextant that he and his crew mates used during the 24-day adventure to find their positions at sea. A sextant is an extraordinary optical instrument that identifies the angle between the horizon and a celestial body - such as the Sun, the Moon or a star - to assist in the determining of latitude and longitude at sea.
During the episode, we also hear about David's transition from the field of experimental psychology to his exploration of animal behaviour and wayfinding, and a glimpse into the world of supernavigators.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/david-barrie
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image courtesy of David Barrie.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S5 Ep6: The Craft of Globemaking with Jonathan Wright
In this episode, Jerry meets master craftsperson, globemaker and conservator Jonathan Wright. Jonathan brings with him a twelve-inch celestial globe produced by Scottish firm James Kirkwood & Sons from 1810.For …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry meets master craftsperson, globemaker and conservator Jonathan Wright. Jonathan brings with him a twelve-inch celestial globe produced by Scottish firm James Kirkwood & Sons from 1810.
For Jonathan, this globe marks a significant career milestone: it was the first one he ever restored. In his discussion with Jerry, we hear about some of the intricate conservation methods he used, the challenges he encountered - and the rather peculiar items he discovered inside the globe…
Jerry also explores Jonathan's professional journey. We hear about his personal motivations, dream commissions, and the artistic and historical influences that shape his work and practice. Above all, Jonathan reflects on the profound personal meaning for him in keeping this essential traditional craft alive.
To explore the globe as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/jonathan-wright
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
Image detail: ©Jonathan Wright
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S5 Ep5: Fight for your right to Map! Radical Cartography with Bill Rankin
Jerry meets Bill Rankin, a cartographer, author and Professor of History at Yale University. In this episode of What’s Your Map? they discuss two fascinating infographic maps that feature in Bill’s latest book …
Show notes
Jerry meets Bill Rankin, a cartographer, author and Professor of History at Yale University. In this episode of What’s Your Map? they discuss two fascinating infographic maps that feature in Bill’s latest book Radical Cartography: What Maps Tell Us About Who We Are (2025).
Radical cartography uses the method of mapmaking as a tool to challenge and educate on social, cultural, and political affairs. Radical maps are thematic maps that aim to give agency to the people who are represented within them and better show the nuanced world we live in.
The first map they discuss was designed by civil servant and activist Gwendolyn Warren in 1971. Titled ‘Where Commuters Run Over Black Children on the Pointes-Downtown Track’, the map documents the racial inequalities of a Detroit neighbourhood and is designed to inspire change.
The second map, titled ‘A Taxonomy of Transitions’ shows the ethnography of Chicago and was made by Bill in 2010. It was created using self-identification government census data and illustrates the relationships of the different neighbourhoods in the city. This map harnesses the power of infographics to better represent the people who live in the area and create a boundary-less community.
To explore the maps as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/bill-rankin
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
WHAT’S YOUR MAP? LIVE is making its Hay Festival debut! Join host Jerry and guests Tim Marshall, David Olusoga OBE and Emma Jane Unsworth on Wednesday 27 May at 8.30pm on the Discovery Stage as they unfurl history, culture and adventure in a live, immersive show. Find tickets: Oculi-Mundi.com/hay-2026
Image detail: ©Bill Rankin
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S5 Ep4: Un-Bordering the Map with Rohini Rai
In this episode, Jerry speaks with Dr. Rohini Rai, a sociologist of race, ethnicity, and migration, and lecturer at Brunel University in London. She is also the co-founder of the Critical Himalayan Collective …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry speaks with Dr. Rohini Rai, a sociologist of race, ethnicity, and migration, and lecturer at Brunel University in London. She is also the co-founder of the Critical Himalayan Collective, a scholarly, activist network focused on reimagining Eastern Himalayan studies through Indigenous knowledge, art, and critical dialogue.
Rohini shares a map from the Royal Geographical Society Collections showing the colonial borders imposed on her home, Sikkim. The ‘Sketch Map of Sikkim and parts of Darjeeling, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan’ was initially produced to accompany a report of a British surveying expedition in 1884-1886 led by Colonel Tanner.
We learn about Rohini’s research on the politics of the Eastern Himalayas and Himalayan diaspora in the UK. We also hear about Rohini's personal history in the region and the inspired projects using embodied practices like dance to reclaim colonised archival materials and remap ancestral lands.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/rohini-rai
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
WHAT’S YOUR MAP? LIVE is making its Hay Festival debut! Join host Jerry and guests Tim Marshall, David Olusoga OBE and Emma Jane Unsworth on Wednesday 27 May at 8.30pm on the Discovery Stage as they unfurl history, culture and adventure in a live, immersive show. Find tickets Oculi-Mundi.com/hay-2026
Image detail: ©RGS-IBG
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S5 Ep3: To Hear the World in a New York Street with Ross Perlin
This week, Jerry meets Ross Perlin, a linguist, writer, and translator focused on exploring and supporting linguistic diversity. Ross is the co-director of the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA), a non-profit …
Show notes
This week, Jerry meets Ross Perlin, a linguist, writer, and translator focused on exploring and supporting linguistic diversity. Ross is the co-director of the Endangered Language Alliance (ELA), a non-profit organisation dedicated to documenting Indigenous, minority, and endangered languages, and supporting a mosaic of languages in New York City - Lenapehoking and beyond.
Ross shares an incredible interactive map (www.languagemap.nyc) that illustrates the rich tapestry of languages in New York with a focus on language at risk of disappearing. We delve into the City's foundational language, Lenape, and trace the journeys of native speakers and inspiring revitalisation projects for some the 700 languages that thrive and survive in New York.
As well as learning about some of the challenges of mapping and preserving languages, the questions around AI and language legacy, we also hear about Ross’ career in linguistics. This includes his language investigations in the Eastern Himalayas and the influence of his mentor, eminent linguist Hongkai Sun.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/ross-perlin
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
WHAT’S YOUR MAP? LIVE is making its Hay Festival debut! Join host Jerry and guests Tim Marshall, David Olusoga OBE and Emma Jane Unsworth on Wednesday 27 May at 8.30pm on the Discovery Stage as they unfurl history, culture and adventure in a live, immersive show. Find tickets Oculi-Mundi.com/hay-2026
Image detail: ©Ross Perlin, Daniel Kaufman, Jason Lampel, Maya Daurio, Mark Turin, Sienna Craig, eds., Endangered Language Alliance.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S5 Ep2: The Beauty of Blue with Richard Pegg
This week, Jerry meets Dr. Richard A. Pegg, the Director and Curator of Asian Art at the MacLean Collection, Asian map aficionado, and proud owner of Blue China Map shoes! The MacLean Collection is an …
Show notes
This week, Jerry meets Dr. Richard A. Pegg, the Director and Curator of Asian Art at the MacLean Collection, Asian map aficionado, and proud owner of Blue China Map shoes!
The MacLean Collection is an astonishing private collection of Asian art and global cartography. Based in Chicago, it is home to over 5,000 historic artefacts and more than 35,000 maps.
In this episode, Richard and Jerry discuss two majestic maps from the Qing Dynasty, known colloquially as the ‘Blue China Maps’: the ‘Complete Geographical Map of the Everlasting Qing Dynasty’ by Huang Qianren (pron. Hwang Chien-ren) (c.1820) and the ‘Complete Celestial Chart of Equatorial Fixed Stars’ by Yunyou Sanren (pron. Yün-yo (like a German ü) San-ren) (c.1822).
Richard explains the complex world view behind these maps and what they would have meant to someone consulting them in tandem during 19th Century China. He reveals how they were made, the source of their stunning blue colouring - and how they reflect the imperial Mandate of Heaven.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/richard-pegg
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
WHAT’S YOUR MAP? LIVE is making its Hay Festival debut! Join host Jerry and guests Tim Marshall, David Olusoga OBE and Emma Jane Unsworth on Wednesday 27 May at 8.30pm on the Discovery Stage as they unfurl history, culture and adventure in a live, immersive show. Find tickets Oculi-Mundi.com/hay-2026
Image detail: ©The Sunderland Collection
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S5 Ep1: The Explorer from the Home of the Giants with Cecilie Skog
In this episode of WHAT’S YOUR MAP? we are transported to the wild mountains of Southern Norway as Jerry speaks with adventurer, climber, and trained nurse Cecilie Skog. An extremely accomplished explorer …
Show notes
In this episode of WHAT’S YOUR MAP? we are transported to the wild mountains of Southern Norway as Jerry speaks with adventurer, climber, and trained nurse Cecilie Skog. An extremely accomplished explorer, Cecilie has climbed all seven of the world's tallest mountains, trekked unsupported across Antarctica, and skied to the North Pole!
In this intimate conversation, Cecilie guides us through an area close to her home and her heart: the Hurrungane Range in Jotunheimen, known as the ‘Home of the Giants’. Cecilie shares her trusty hiking map of the Range, which she has used for years to plan familiar excursions as well as new routes. She is so familiar with this region that she no longer needs to take it with her.
Cecilie also shares stories from her beginnings as a mountain guide, to her career as a seasoned explorer. She recounts how she navigated tremendous loss, and ultimately found solace again in the outdoors following a dream trip to Greenland with her best friends.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/cecilie-skog
From historians, scientists and writers, to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join us as map historian Jerry Brotton invites each guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and personal stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - what’s YOUR map?
The award-winning What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique cartography.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen, and find more information and rabbit-holes about each guest.
WHAT’S YOUR MAP? LIVE is making its Hay Festival debut! Join host Jerry and guests Tim Marshall, David Olusoga OBE and Emma Jane Unsworth on Wednesday 27 May at 8.30pm on the Discovery Stage as they unfurl history, culture and adventure in a live, immersive show. Find tickets Oculi-Mundi.com/hay-2026
Image detail: ©Kartverket / norgeskart.no
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
What's Your Map? returns on March 25 with Season 5!
The British Podcast Awards GOLD winning podcast returns on March 25th! From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and …
Show notes
The British Podcast Awards GOLD winning podcast returns on March 25th!
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton, as in each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
Join us for the new season starting Wednesday March 25th, released every fortnight.
Upcoming guests include: Jonathan Wright, master globemaker and conservator, Ross Perlin, a preserver of endangered languages from New York City, Marcello Canuto, an archaeologist using cutting edge laser mapping to uncover ancient Mayan ruins, and Singaporean artist Debbie Ding who maps her dreams, Bill Rankin is a cartographer and historian at Yale University, Climber Cecilie Skog, and sociologist Rohini Rai who traces the history of her ancestors.
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.S4 Ep6: From Meadow to Metropolis: Mapping a World of Sound with Michaela Vieser
In this episode, Jerry meets with acclaimed nature and travel writer Michaela Vieser. The focus of their conversation is an interactive map that charts 98 distinct sounds and silences from around the globe. The …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry meets with acclaimed nature and travel writer Michaela Vieser. The focus of their conversation is an interactive map that charts 98 distinct sounds and silences from around the globe.
The creation of this geographical sound archive is connected to her new book co-written with Isaac Yuen, The Sound Atlas: A Guide to Strange Sounds Across Landscapes and Imagination. From the swaying, lush meadows of the Altai Mountains, to the unique jingles at Tokyo’s train stations, Michaela guides Jerry through a selection of her favourites on this auditory adventure.
Together, they discuss the temporal nature of sound, the vulnerability of the changing landscapes in which they were recorded, and the emotional and physical experience of listening.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/michaela-vieser
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image detail: Map data.Google © 2025 / Co-authored by Michaela Vieser and Isaac Yuen.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S4 Ep5: Out of the Cave: Encounters and Anima with Jago Cooper
In this episode, Jerry meets with Dr. Jago Cooper to examine a map of an ancient cave network on Isla de Mona in the Caribbean Sea. The map pinpoints the locations of markings that depict Indigenous beliefs and …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry meets with Dr. Jago Cooper to examine a map of an ancient cave network on Isla de Mona in the Caribbean Sea. The map pinpoints the locations of markings that depict Indigenous beliefs and also trace 500 years of cross-cultural encounters.
Jago is the Director of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a world class art museum based in Norwich with a unique perspective on how art can foster cultural dialogue and exchange. It is the first of its kind in formally recognising art as a living lifeforce and acts as a conduit between the art and people.
In his discussion with Jerry, Jago reflects on how his archaeology career has influenced his views and deepened his knowledge of diverse world cultures. He and Jerry explore how mapping can help us understand relationships between people and place, rather than just routes and borders.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/jago-cooper
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image detail: ©Antiquity Publications Ltd and Cambridge University Press (2016).
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.S4 Ep4: Smuggling Silk: WWII Escape Maps with Dr. Barbara A. Bond
In this episode, Jerry speaks with the illustrious Barbara A. Bond, the former cartographic researcher in the UK’s Ministry of Defence. Together, they pour over an important but unassuming silk escape map of …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry speaks with the illustrious Barbara A. Bond, the former cartographic researcher in the UK’s Ministry of Defence. Together, they pour over an important but unassuming silk escape map of Danzig (Gdansk) port from World War II. What information is presented on the map, and what has been intentionally excluded? More importantly, how did this map end up in the hands of a Prisoner of War hoping to escape the enemy in Europe?
We gain access all areas to Barbara’s astounding career in mapping: Jerry hears highlights from her first exposure to maps as a child, to her tenure as President of the British Cartographic Society and Director of the Hydrographic Office in the UK. Along the way, we gain insight to her PhD research on MI9's escape and evasion mapping programme in WWII, resulting in her brilliant book Great Escapes.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/barbara-bond
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image detail: Silk escape map of Danzig Port (1942) ©Courtesy of the Military Intelligence Museum
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.What's Your Map? Live at the British Library: Lessons in Scouting with Dwayne Fields
In this second live episode from the British Library, Jerry speaks to explorer and Chief Scout Dwayne Fields, who is accompanied by Head of the Scout Heritage Collection, Caroline Pantling.They shine a …
Show notes
In this second live episode from the British Library, Jerry speaks to explorer and Chief Scout Dwayne Fields, who is accompanied by Head of the Scout Heritage Collection, Caroline Pantling.
They shine a spotlight on the innovative, hand-drawn maps of the Scout movement founder Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941), and talk about the importance of imagination and adventure.
The maps they discuss in the episode are illustrations from Baden-Powell's 1915 book "My Adventures as a Spy". The book recounts Baden-Powell's own experiences in the military and his career in espionage, and features his charming hand-drawn maps hidden in natural history sketches.
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image detail: Public Domain via Project Gutenberg. (Vectorised, October 2025).
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.What's Your Map? Live at the British Library: Manoeuvres along the Meridian with Nicholas Crane
In this special live episode at the British Library, Jerry speaks to celebrated geographer, author, broadcaster and former President of the Royal Geographical Society, Nicholas Crane.They discuss the discreet …
Show notes
In this special live episode at the British Library, Jerry speaks to celebrated geographer, author, broadcaster and former President of the Royal Geographical Society, Nicholas Crane.
They discuss the discreet War Department takeover of an area of the Wiltshire countryside for British Armed Forces training, and the Military Manoeuvres Act of 1872 as demarcated on James Wyld's map of Salisbury Plain.
We learn more about the importance of map projections and the world's first scientific atlas by Gerard Mercator. We will also hear about Nicholas' own epic journeys across the UK, including his extraordinary coast to coast walk two degrees west of the prime meridian from Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, to the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset.
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image detail: ©From the British Library Collection - Maps 5710.(1).
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.S4 Ep3: Fighting the Robber of Youth with Dr. Animesh Sinha
In this episode, Jerry Brotton meets Dr. Animesh Sinha from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders). Animesh is an infectious diseases specialist who has spent his career caring for people in …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry Brotton meets Dr. Animesh Sinha from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders). Animesh is an infectious diseases specialist who has spent his career caring for people in remote regions with HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis.
Animesh is the principal investigator in a project named Zero TB where his team are using GIS data and maps to treat, and hopefully eradicate, TB in a city called Kulob which is located in Southern Tajikistan.
MSF is a humanitarian organisation providing critical medical care in more than 70 countries around the world. We hear about Animesh’s career as a medic in the Indian Army and his more recent experiences as an MSF doctor in South Sudan and Chechnya. We find out the essential role that mapping has in monitoring live cases and drug resistance, as well as how the MSF’s open-source ‘mapathons’ assist medical professionals and emergency services in healthcare delivery and disaster response.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/animesh-sinha
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image detail: ©Médecins Sans Frontières
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S4 Ep2: Encountering the Big River with Hannah Claus
In this episode, Jerry takes another excursion to meet with Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and English visual artist, Hannah Claus. Hannah is in London exhibiting at the High Commission of Canada in the U.K. as part …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry takes another excursion to meet with Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and English visual artist, Hannah Claus.
Hannah is in London exhibiting at the High Commission of Canada in the U.K. as part of their commitment to show work by Indigenous Canadian artists. Her body of work titled tsi iotnekahtentiónhatie - éntie nonkwá:ti [where the waters flow - south shore] tells the story of the Kahrhionhwa’kó:wa [the Great River, or Saint Lawrence River]. Her artwork éntie nokwá:ti ne Kaniatarowánen [water song - south shore] features as her chosen map for this episode: it is an installation that visualises a sound wave of a water song composed by Ionhiarò:roks McComber.
During this intimate tour of Hannah’s artworks, she tells Jerry about First Nations cosmologies and the importance of having a relationship to the land and bodies of water upon which one resides. Together, they delve into the concept of what constitutes a map, and how artists convey the narratives and collective histories of specific places through their work.
To explore Hannah's artwork as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/hannah-claus
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image © Hannah Claus/The Sunderland Collection
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.S4 Ep1: Silver Sails: Following the Galleon Route with Dr. Katie Parker
In the first episode of Season 4, our host Jerry Brotton finds himself at one of the world's largest and most active exploration-focused institutions: the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London. He meets …
Show notes
In the first episode of Season 4, our host Jerry Brotton finds himself at one of the world's largest and most active exploration-focused institutions: the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in London. He meets with Cartographic Collections Manager Dr. Katie Parker to pore over a mid-sixteenth century treasure that both the RGS and The Sunderland Collection are privileged to own an example of.
Produced in around 1550, this atlas by Battista Agnese is a luxurious curation of 13 hand-drawn portolan charts of the known world. Jerry and Katie explore what these exquisite maps show, and who would have owned them. They discuss the European desire for imperial expansion in pursuit of wealth, from silver and gold in the west to spices in the east. We also learn more from Katie’s expertise in 18th-century European maritime history and Pacific voyages of exploration.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/katie-parker
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries. Join us in this award winning podcast (Gold in Education at the British Podcast Awards 2025) as Jerry Brotton invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
If you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases.
For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
S3 Ep7: Season 4 Launches November 5th!
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry …
Show notes
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton, as in each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?
And to find out more about the British Library talk with Jerry, Nicholas Crane and Dwayne Fields on October 25th, go to: https://events.bl.uk/events/online-secret-mapping-mapping-secrecy
What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.S3 Ep6: Polar Bears and the Unknown with Djoeke van Netten
Jerry journeys to the Arctic polar region with Dr Djoeke van Netten from the University of Amsterdam, following the attempts by Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz and his crew to reach China via the northeast …
Show notes
Jerry journeys to the Arctic polar region with Dr Djoeke van Netten from the University of Amsterdam, following the attempts by Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz and his crew to reach China via the northeast passage.
Djoeke explains the backstory of the Dutch trade missions that took place in 1594, 1595, and 1596 and how the 1596 mission was stranded in Novaya Zemlya [an island chain in present day Northern Russia] for almost a year.
These European explorers kept fascinating records of landscapes and animals that they had never encountered before, in particular polar bears—an animal that sparked significant curiosity and concern among the Dutch crew. Djoeke reveals how these interactions not only informed the crew's survival strategies but also shaped their perceptions of the Arctic.
Djoeke and Jerry discuss how maps not only record known geography but also convey what was unknown to European mapmakers - dotted lines and empty regions that reflect both an acknowledgment of limits and the ambition of further exploration.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/djoeke-van-netten
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image courtesy of Rare Maps. Public Domain via Wikipedia Commons
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.S3 Ep5: Wild, Native, Extant - Exploring Emotional Geography with Anton Thomas
Jerry interviews Melbourne based artist-cartographer Anton Thomas, who discusses his latest project: a meticulously hand-drawn world map titled "Wild World." Wild World centres the animal kingdom, showcasing …
Show notes
Jerry interviews Melbourne based artist-cartographer Anton Thomas, who discusses his latest project: a meticulously hand-drawn world map titled "Wild World." Wild World centres the animal kingdom, showcasing over 1,600 animals across a world without national borders.
This intricate artwork emerged from Anton’s deep-rooted passion for mapping, which reaches back to his childhood. It also reflects his belief in the profound connection between humans and nature.
Anton walks Jerry through the artistic and cartographic choices he made whilst drawing Wild World, a process that took several years to complete. We hear about how Anton wanted to shape the viewer’s experience, turning the map into a celebration of biodiversity while instilling a sense of optimism amid today’s environmental concerns.
To explore the map as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/anton-thomas
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image © Anton Thomas
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.S3 Ep4: WWII and the Dangers of Cartographic Lethargy with Susan Schulten
Jerry and University of Denver Professor Susan Schulten delve into the groundbreaking work of Richard Edes Harrison, an artist cartographer whose innovative mapping style emerged in the tumultuous early 20th …
Show notes
Jerry and University of Denver Professor Susan Schulten delve into the groundbreaking work of Richard Edes Harrison, an artist cartographer whose innovative mapping style emerged in the tumultuous early 20th century, particularly during the lead-up to World War II.
They discuss two of Harrison’s maps published in Fortune magazine, the business magazine founded by Henry Luce in 1929. Harrison’s maps challenged Americans' isolationism at the start of World War II. He wanted to shake the country out of what he called their “cartographic lethargy”.
Susan walks us through the debates around the US entering World War II and the compromise that was reached – Lend lease, a policy that allowed the US to aid allies without entering the war themselves.
We also hear about Susan meeting Harrison at the end of his life and the valuable insight she got from him about the science and art of map making.
To explore the maps as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/susan-schulten
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image © David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries. Creative Commons License.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.S3 Ep3: The Society of Cells: Brainbow Mapping with Jeff Lichtman
Neuroscientist and Harvard Professor Jeff Lichtman walks Jerry through his astonishing work mapping the human brain. In 2024, with the help of Google Research, Jeff’s team developed the most detailed map of a …
Show notes
Neuroscientist and Harvard Professor Jeff Lichtman walks Jerry through his astonishing work mapping the human brain. In 2024, with the help of Google Research, Jeff’s team developed the most detailed map of a human brain sample ever created, producing 1,400 TB of data from a sample the size of a pinhead.
Jeff also talks about how he and Harvard biologist Dr Joshua Sanes pioneered the Brainbow process, a breakthrough that allows scientists to easily identify individual neurons in the brain by colour.
He goes on to explain how our experiences allow us to build neural maps, or wiring diagrams, onto our brains. These maps encode our memories and learned experiences, so that we can act without thinking, like riding a bicycle.
To explore the maps as you listen, visit: https://oculi-mundi.com/jeff-lichtman
-
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps as you listen.
Image © Google Research & Lichtman Lab / Harvard University
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.S3 Ep2: Introducing Geographical Storyteller Louise E Jefferson with Iris Taylor
In this episode, Jerry visits the Library of Congress in Washington DC to meet senior librarian Iris Taylor, who has nearly five decades of experience in the map department.Iris shows Jerry a series of …
Show notes
In this episode, Jerry visits the Library of Congress in Washington DC to meet senior librarian Iris Taylor, who has nearly five decades of experience in the map department.
Iris shows Jerry a series of beautiful pictorial maps, created in the 1940s by the pioneering geographical storyteller Louise E. Jefferson. In particular, she highlights a map of ‘Americans of Negro Lineage’ from 1946. This map showcases notable African-Americans from throughout history, including figures like Harriet Tubman - who helped establish the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves - and the poet Langston Hughes.
Louise was one of the first female African-American cartographers. Her work was long neglected, and Iris is working to bring it back to light.
To see a high-definition image of the map as it is discussed, go to: https://oculi-mundi.com/iris-taylor
In this conversation, Iris reflects on her discovery of the Jefferson maps, and the profound impact they have had on her. She also talks about her own personal journey as a librarian at the largest and most comprehensive map collection in the world.
From historians, scientists and writers to creatives and cultural custodians, people have used maps as a source of knowledge, guidance, and inspiration for centuries.
Join award-winning expert Professor Jerry Brotton as each episode he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart - and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it.
So if you’re fascinated by history, art, adventure and culture, why not become part of a global community of fellow explorers as we ask - What’s your map?What’s Your Map? is brought to you by Oculi Mundi (‘the eyes of the world’), the online home of The Sunderland Collection of antique maps and atlases. For a fully immersive experience, visit Oculi-Mundi.com/podcast to explore each of the maps in detail as you listen.
Image © David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries. Creative Commons License.
All views and opinions expressed by guests on the podcast are entirely their own and do not represent those of The Sunderland Collection or Whistledown Productions.
These are the latest 40 of 46 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
Similar podcasts
More History podcasts
Is this your podcast?
Confirm it with an entry in your feed: you get a code here, add it as podcast:txt to the channel of your feed, and we check it. Your podcast is then shown as “verified” on SoundNode.