What's Your Map?

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.
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.

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.
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: ©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.

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.

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. 
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.

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.

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.