What's Your Map?

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. Originally a family-run business specialising in engraved banknotes, Kirkwood pivoted from printers to globemakers when James’ son Robert became a surveyor. 
For Jonathan, this particular globe marks a significant career milestone, as it was the very first one he ever restored. Through his discussion with Jerry, we hear about some of the intricate conservation methods he employed, the challenges he encountered during its preservation, and the rather peculiar items discovered inside the globe - most notably, torn tax assessments and Catholic texts!
The discussion also delves into Jonathan's professional journey - tracing his transition from design engineer to his current role as a specialist restorer and globemaker. We explore 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. 
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.

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. 
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.

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. 
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.

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.
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.

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.
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.