Matthew Picton is a UK-based artist who uses strips of paper from both historic and fictional texts to assemble maps from around the world.
“More than simply lining out the aerial urban landscape of each site, Picton also creatively reflects the historical scene of certain locations that have dealt with disasters, especially those pertaining to fires. The Great Fire of London in 1666 is represented by the burnt pages of Daniel Defoe’s The Plague Years. Similarly, Picton has ignited several of his paper cities to reflect their own fire-related tragedies. Taking the interpretation a step further, the artist constructed his scorched Lower Manhattan piece out of headlines following the aftermath of the World Trade Center bombings.” — My Modern Metropolis
