Impact case study database

Brotton’s research on mapping has allowed cultural heritage organisations, creative practitioners, and their audiences to address fundamental questions of what the practices and products of mapping embody and enable. Aligning new methods of heritage preservation with historical analyses and the imaging and access tools offered by digital technologies, Brotton’s research has advanced public and professional understanding of maps and mapping in three key areas.

Developing the conservation and exchange of culture through practice and interpretation of mapping

Brotton’s research on the consequences of digitality for mapping [3.1, 3.4] have underpinned the development of new digital technologies for the recreation, preservation, and reinterpretation of historic maps in collaborations with Factum Arte and Bodleian Libraries in the co-curation of the exhibition ‘Talking Maps’ [3.5] at the Weston Library (Bodleian Libraries, Oxford, June 2019–March 2020). Under Brotton’s guidance, new scanning and printing techniques were applied to the Gough map, Hereford Cathedral’s mappa mundi and Idrisi’s Entertainment, creating new 3D maps, which were exhibited in the UK (Bodleian Libraries 2019–20) and internationally (Les Abattoirs Museum, Toulouse 2014; National Library, Madrid 2017). The Bodleian wrote that Brotton’s research provided ‘an opportunity for the Library to experiment further in the use of digital, or digital mediated interactive elements’ and ‘influenced the way the Library will approach future exhibition design’ [5.6].

Brotton’s research on digitality and heritage preservation [3.1, 3.2] has allowed new methods of cultural conservation to be developed in collaboration with local indigenous communities and artists in Brazil. In May 2017, he collaborated with Takumã, an artist from the Kuikuro people in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil, and Adam Lowe of Factum to produce 3D digital maps of Ipatse village, Takumã’s home [5.8]. By enabling the community to visualise the landscape in new ways through the use of new mapping techniques, the project directly informed and supported their decision to re-site the village in a new, and environmentally sustainable location, preserving Kuikuro heritage into the future.

The technology and practice developed by Brotton and his collaborators has also contributed towards the cultural exchange between the Kuikuro and a British art-going public. As part of a Tate Modern Exchange event (‘Producing Memory: Maps, Materials, Belonging,’ May 2018), Brotton installed an interactive augmented reality display of Ipatse village and gave a talk on the work with Factum Arte and the Kuikuro [5.10]. The project has enhanced international awareness of indigenous rights and culture, and drawn indigenous environmental and aesthetic practices into dialogue with audiences and professionals at a leading European ‘high’ cultural institution (Tate Modern). The potential of this practice to promote cultural preservation and exchange was further demonstrated in a collaboration in 2018 with another Brazilian indigenous group, the Wauja community, who sought assistance in reconstructing and preserving the sacred cave site of Kamukuwaka, which had been vandalised. Brotton, Lowe, and their artist-collaborators mapped the cave, creating a record of the site in perpetuity. This was then displayed at the Factum Arte studio in Madrid (November 2019), as part of a project co-curated by Brotton that included workshops with indigenous artists and activists from Brazil to address the political and environmental consequences of the Bolsonaro regime [5.8].

Brotton’s research has also furthered public and institutional understanding of cultural exchange as a historic process within the UK. His research on the cultural exchanges between Elizabethan England and the Muslim world directly contributed to the exhibition ‘London’s Theatre of the East’ at the Arab British Centre and Dr Johnson’s House (DJH; November 2019–January 2020). As a result of his book, This Orient Isle [3.3], Brotton was appointed as lead academic adviser for the exhibition, and the knowledges generated in his research shaped its curatorial practice and facilitated public engagement through associated events and publications. The Arab British Centre writes [5.2]: ‘Brotton’s involvement in London’s Theatre of the East has been instrumental to the project’s success [...] His enthusiasm and knowledge has been invaluable.’ The curator of Dr Johnson’s House writes: ‘the academic and historical context for the project is firmly rooted in Prof. Brotton’s book This Orient Isle [...] it also inspired us to look at the concept of representation through the documented instances of ‘contact’ in very practical terms: political, commercial, and socio-economic’ [5.5].

Facilitating creative and artistic practice and production

Brotton’s research on the interconnections and exchanges between Elizabethan England and Islam [3.3] has underpinned new theatrical and artistic production, enabling directors and artists to develop new artistic perspectives, produce new creative outputs, and reach new audiences.

In 2017, Brotton provided consultation and programme notes for a ground-breaking production of Othello: the first major professional production in the UK that explored Othello's heritage and identity as a Muslim. It was directed by English Touring Theatre’s artistic director Richard Twyman in collaboration with ‘Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory’ (Bristol). Twyman notes the fundamental influence of Brotton’s work: ‘Brotton's This Orient Isle had a profound impact on me and my thinking around the production. Without Jerry's scholarship and subsequent support, I would not have had the knowledge or freedom to approach the play in this way [...] Jerry's revolutionary book [...] provided this thread and gave all of us involved in the production the confidence to create an Othello that has gone on to change the performance history of the play in the UK’ [5.1].

In connection with London’s Theatre of the East, Brotton presented his work to Arab-British artists chosen to lead exhibitions. In particular, Brotton’s research findings in this area have influenced a commissioned artwork by Nour Hage, award-winning Lebanese fashion designer. Her piece, Sultana Isabel (the name comes from Ottoman sources discussed by Brotton in [3.3]) was developed as an installation for London’s Theatre of the East and drew inspiration from Brotton’s work on the relation between Elizabethan England and the Muslim world. The piece models Elizabeth I’s neck ruffs and references her personal connection with the Moroccan Kingdom, which helped her access the coveted Silk Road, bringing its luxuries into England for the first time. Hage developed new textile skills in dying and starching to create the ruff, which was coloured with natural dyes often associated with the Silk Road, such as turmeric and indigo [5.4]. A reviewer for the British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies’ Criticks webpages noted that the artwork ‘encapsulates Elizabethan commercial interests while also hinting at the dramatic engagement with the Arab world by Shakespeare and Marlowe and later by Johnson himself’ [5.9], foregrounding precisely the influence of Brotton’s work on maps and early modern drama.

Increasing cultural participation and enhancing public understanding of mapping

Public engagement is embedded in Brotton’s approach to all his work, as evidenced in the audiences [5.7] for his publications and his participation in talks and events aimed at general publics. In co-curating the exhibition ‘Talking Maps’ at the Weston Library (Bodleian Libraries, Oxford, June 2019-March 2020), Brotton has made a significant contribution to increasing cultural participation in and enhancing public understanding of mapping. Almost 98,000 people visited the exhibition, and Brotton led guided lunchtime tours with over 1,000 attending [5.7]. Bodleian Libraries noted that the exhibition drew much larger audiences than previous, similar events at the Weston Library and concurrent events with similar themes. Of 2,400 public respondents, 42% said they knew little or nothing about maps prior to viewing the exhibition and 66% agreed that after seeing the show ‘they have a new understanding of maps.’ Asked ‘how has your idea of a map changed,’ visitors’ answers indicated their understanding of maps had been enhanced, reporting a new ‘perspective on maps as story-telling devices,’ a new understanding of ‘maps as objects with different purposes and reflections of different cosmological perspectives’, and that the exhibition had ‘revolutionized my way of thinking’ [5.7].

In connection with London’s Theatre of the East, Brotton organised a performance by Queen Mary students of the first public ticketed staged reading in 270 years of Irene, Samuel Johnson’s Ottoman-themed play (November 2019). The related exhibition itself drew over 3,500 attendees. The results of a survey of 66 visitors indicate increased cultural participation with 89% not having visited Doctor Johnson’s House before and 73% previously unaware of the Arab British Centre. Feedback received from visitors demonstrates enhanced public understanding and a greater sense of inclusion: ‘This exhibition really spoke to me as someone of Arab Heritage living in London [...] I saw myself reflected in the contents and art. Unfortunately, this kind of experience is incredibly rare’ [5.3].