Robert Farmer (Canadian, b. 1968) collects vintage paper maps and star maps, cutting out strips and circles using hole punches and scissors. He meticulously layers and adheres cut pieces of varying diameters and widths into wood panels, yielding dense images of buildings, dwellings, or cityscapes. His work is a testament to the resilience of the tangible in an increasingly digitized world. His found maps become both medium and message, with their faded edges and worn surfaces bearing witness to the journeys they once guided.

In the age of GPS navigation and digital mapping, the traditional paper map has become an artifact of a bygone era, relegated to the annals of nostalgia and sentimentality. Yet, within the creases and contours of these outdated cartographic relics lies a hidden potential for artistic rebirth. Farmer’s work breathes new life into these discarded maps, transforming them into vibrant collages that defy their obsolescence.