Point Nemo – the most remote place on the planet

The latest cartographic detail to be added to our contemporary globes is a location known as Point Nemo.

It is not to be found on land – in fact, it lies in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and has been identified as the most remote place on earth.

Point Nemo lies between the Pitcairn Islands to the North, The Easter Islands to the North-East; and Maher Island which forms part of Antarctica to the South. The closest land is 2,688km away, and the mind-blowing reality is that the nearest human life to Point Nemo is often to be found on the International Space Station a mere 280km away.

This remote place was accurately pin pointed in 1992, by survey engineer Hrvoji Lukatela, who used a computer programme to identify which co-ordinates marked the greatest equidistance from any land, taking into account the Earth’s curvature.

The official name given is The Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, but the moniker of Point Nemo was adopted with reference to Jules Verne’s famous “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”.

It isn’t just human life that is absent here. This specific part of the Ocean – the South Pacific Gyre, as it is known, is part of a massive rotational current system, the nature of which excludes any new, rich nutrients from entering these waters; this results in an almost complete lack of any kind of life. The name Nemo couldn’t be more apt- Nemo in Latin means ” no one”.

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English Heritage Easter Eggs

‘EGGSCLUSIVE EGGS’

 

We love nothing better than an interesting and unusual collaboration, and none more so than the work we have done to produce these ‘Eggsclusive Eggs’ for English Heritage.

To celebrate Easter, English Heritage commissioned six pieces of artwork from leading illustrators, which were each personally inspired by English Heritage castles and stately homes around the UK. Among those illustrators is Olivia Lomonech Gill, the brilliant artist behind the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them books.

These very special eggs feature different styles and subjects, and the artists were given free reign to depict whatever scene they liked using an English Heritage site as a starting point. Olivia Lomonech Gill chose Warkworth Castle in Northumberland and has including a suitably personal array of ‘fantastic beasts’ in the grounds of her illustrated castle.

We worked in collaboration with Outside Studios designers, who provided the 3d printed eggs. We then had the satisfying job of meticulously applying the artwork to each egg.

Being members of English Heritage ourselves, and frequent visitors to Osborne House, we loved being part of a project which was relatable, and felt pretty eggsited to work with such esteemed partners.

http://www.outsidestudios.co.uk/

 

 

Audi car launch collaboration

We were thrilled when asked to show our work at an event marking the release of Audi’s new car, the A8.

The event in Munich is the first of three, the next being in Dusseldorf and then on to Berlin. We were one of five craftspeople demonstrating skills specific to our trades that haven’t changed for centuries but also incorporate a contemporary side to them, in our case the design and printing process. Before the days of map making software and Adobe, the globe maps ( gores ) would’ve been etched onto copper plates and then printed. A fabulous technique but one that doesn’t allow for updates and customisation, something that we specialise in, see our customised bespoke globes http://www.landerandmay.com/customised-globes.html.

 

It was a remarkable event,  I got to sit in this and for a while I was 10 again!

Wedding Globe

IN A WORLD OF THEIR OWN

We think we may have come up with the perfect wedding gift. Imagine owning a globe – a beautiful addition to any home – but a globe that is personally handmade and reflects your own unique story.

One of our most popular globes features customers’ own travelled routes, and we thought the same idea could be used to illustrate the wedding ‘story’ of a newly married couple.

We can mark out anything you like, such as where the marriage proposal took place, location of wedding, how far afield guests have travelled from to be at the wedding, and the destination of the honeymoon. We can also include any special trips and holidays made by the couple, plus a personal dedication label on the globe.

All you need to do is tell us the locations that are special to you and we can plot them directly onto the map artwork – using different illustrative devices such as route tracks for journeys travelled, and various icons such as plane, train, car, love heart etc.

The globe is a table top piece, handmade following traditional techniques, which replicate methods used centuries ago. All our globes are made this way, resulting in a beautiful and authentic piece that can last for generations and become a family heirloom.

A globe can be commissioned by the wedding couple themselves, or put together as a surprise gift by well informed friends and family.

The personalization is a really unique feature that captures an exciting time for a special couple, on a beautifully made home accessory that can be cherished for many years to come.

 

 

An A – Z of globe making

An alphabetical journey through  famous globe makers, techniques and terminology

  is for  Analemma

Have you ever seen this figure-8 on a globe and wondered what it is?  If you could record the position of the sun in the sky at the same time every day,  you would notice that the sun takes a rather strange path,  at certain times throughout the year the sun’s position not only varies higher and lower (North and South) as you would expect with the change of the seasons, but also slightly east and west.   The distinctive figure of eight is the shape that would be recorded if you marked where the sun was directly overhead at noon every day of the year. 

 
It is quite easy to discover for example the time at which the sun is at its lowest in the Northern hemisphere sky ( December 21st ) and the date at which it is lowest in the Southern hemisphere ( June 20th). 
They can also be used to work out the earliest and latest sunrises and sunsets in the calendar year.
The Analemma extends between the tropics , 23.5 degrees either side of the equator. As this is the angle of the earth’s axis the sun’s rays do not fall vertically outside of this area.
These devices were often to be found in  the 19th Century when globes were regarded as scientific instruments and were still popular  as recently as the 1930s.

for more information we would recommend this excellent website :

http://www.analemma.com/pages/framespage.html

Stanford’s Travel writing awards

Earlier this month Stanford’s held a Travel Writing Festival at London’s Olympia.  Part of the Holiday and Travel Show, the Stanford’s event was a celebration of all forms of travel writing, with a host of guest speakers concluding with an awards ceremony for winning authors.

Stanford’s have a worldwide reputation as experts in the field of travel related literature, from journals to maps to pictorial books, and their flagship store in Long Acre, London has been a hub for anyone with a curiosity about the world around them.

We are thrilled to have been stocked at Stanford’s, in their dedicated globe room downstairs, for a number of years, and were even more honoured to be asked once again to make the globes which were presented as prizes to the lucky winners at their award ceremony.  There were multiple guest speakers at the event, including Michael Palin, Levison Wood, Colin Thubron, Simon Reeve, John Simpson, Nicholas Crane and a personal favourite of mine Lois Pryce.

 There were ten categories, for which we made a contemporary ten inch globe for each winner, and Michael Palin was the recipient of the Lifetime Contribution to Travel Writing, taking home our 13 inch Modern Classic Globe.  We think he looks pretty pleased with it.

Global Luxury Brand

A year ago, we were thrilled to be asked to make a globe for the interior store deco for a leading US luxury menswear retailer. As we expected from such an iconic brand, they had an idea of what they wanted the globe to look like, and after creative discussions and mock ups we came up with a globe that interpreted their brief. It was a step away from our usual pieces – a completely black, matt sphere, with no text, and white outlined land mass.  The stand and meridian arm are tarnished steel, resulting in an arresting and unique design.  This was a fun departure from our usual commissions, and really interesting to make a globe that reflects a strong brand image.  It is masculine, strong and stylish, seasoned and confident, yet understated and classic.  The globe has to complement the clothing collection, without upstaging it in any way. The globes now sit in multiple stores across the world, we are still providing them a year later, we even hear there is one in Head Office…

Globes for Google

A few days ago I was loading a large, finished globe into my van, when a workman on a nearby roof called down “You need to update your Sat Nav mate!”…
Navigational aids of one kind or another have been showing us the way for centuries.  We probably all have fairly recent memories of trying to get somewhere by car using a crumpled paper road atlas, and it seems incredible to think how far technology has moved on in the last decade.
It’s been ten years since Google first launched its Map API – the platform and tools to enable developers to create a diverse range of APPs which utilise Google Maps.
Over the last decade, independent coders and digital designers have created APPs to meet every need and situation using Google Maps.  To celebrate this a Google team hit the road with a 1950’s tour bus decked out with interactive map exhibits to showcase how maps of every kind enhance our lives today.  The team crossed the breadth of America, from California to New York, then down to Florida, making stops along the way to hold seminars in geo-literacy, and to personally meet developers.

Amongst others, they met with the Harley Davidson crew who used Google maps to create their  HD Ride Planner APP, and the team at ICON Health and Fitness who put together the world’s first virtual 5k run for treadmills.
The travelling bus has been open to the public all along the route, as an inclusive and fun event,
attracting a lot of attention and enthusiasm.

We were thrilled to be invited to participate in this by making several globes for the tour bus using
the Google Map artwork to highlight the maps in an immediate and interactive, if ‘old school’ way!

From small acorns…..

When we get the opportunity to make a specially commissioned globe for an exhibition, well it’s a thrill.  I have been a globemaker by trade for a dozen or more years, and have made a huge breadth of work: every kind of globe you can imagine.  However, since starting my own company a couple of years ago I am especially pleased and proud every time a new client finds me and commissions me to make an unusual piece.  Collaborating on a bespoke project is a joy.

At the start of the summer I was asked to put together a large globe for the National Arboretum at Westonbirt, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire.  In case you didn’t know, the Arboretum is a vast parkland, which was put together in the 1850’s – borne out of the estate of the Westonbirt family – planting was started by Robert Holford, the then owner of the estate – and since then it has flourished, blossomed and bloomed into 17 miles of accessible landscape, containing almost 15,000 trees (2500 different species), open downland, and sylvan serenity – all open to the public.   The Management team work hard to provide an oasis of botanical beauty for all to enjoy, and to learn more about the natural world around us.

A new visitor’s centre has just been constructed, and was opened by the Duchess of Cornwall in June – our bespoke globe, (depicting tree and plant origins across the world) took pride of place – an interactive piece featuring sensory pads on the globe which, when touched with a special electronic pen, give specific information.  It was an interesting project to work on, with a great bunch of people.  We would show you a picture of the Duchess of Cornwall using the globe but…Royal  Family seen to be endorsing products?  it’s a no-no.  So instead, have a look at the beautiful globe in situ and just use your imagination.  And if you’re ever near Tetbury, drift in and lose yourself in the stunning landscape of the Arboretum.

Lander & May on track at the Commonwealth Games

22/07/14

We are honoured to be participating (in a sense) at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow!
The UKTI invited us to exhibit our globes at an amazing industry event to showcase and celebrate British commerce and creativity.
Lander & May will be showing a selection of our handcrafted globes at The British Business House, to be held at Glasgow City Chambers on 23-25 July.
The specially curated event will celebrate British innovation and the UK’s inward investment offer, attracting hundreds of worldwide business leaders.  Among the impressive line up of international speakers from across the world will be Vince Cable (Secretary of  State for Business) and Patrick McLoughlin (Secretary of State for Transport), discussing the UK’s capability and the global business outlook across a huge range of industries including space data, digital health and natural resources.

Lander & May are thrilled to be selected to represent British creativity and excellence.  Chief Executive of UK Trade & Investment, Dominic Jermey speaks enthusiastically:  “The UK produces modern, innovative and creative companies, and Lander & May is a fantastic example of what Britain has to offer the world.  The British Business House will not only showcase UK talent to more than 400 global CEO’s, but also highlight the international opportunities that British companies can capitalise on.”