Jonathan Price, Eiffel Tower, 2018, Giclée print, 27.8" x 19.6" (70.8 x 50 cm)

What could be more iconic than the Eiffel Tower? But even when we zoom in on the map, we can't make it out. We see the Champ de Mars, the field where the military used to drill; we see the river curving past; we can almost make out some of the nearby bridges. But the real tower? No.

Here at the heart of Paris, we are left to struggle with labels that identify districts, monuments, water flows. Mere text.

And lines. I vectorized this closeup, to see the disintegration, the fabrication of intricate overlays and insertions, the delicacy of the original mapmakers at Michelin.

But to move around on the ground, we have to make the leap of imagination, envisioning how we would go down the river, as it flows from right to left, then then head South at the bridge.

In red, we can see the roadways that run along the quais, on either side of the Seine. Now the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has opened these up to pedestrians, forcing more vehicles onto the surface streets, resulting in even longer commute times for the folks who drive in from the suburbs, or the Parisians who just want to cross town.

Color, in the original map, indicates districts, areas, conglomerations. But I like coloring books, crayons, bright bursts of primary colors, so I have brought the blotches to life with brushes and buckets of primary colors.

So this image is my interpretation of an icon, using the tools, menus, and icons of Pixelmator, SuperVectorizer, PhotoShop, PhotoBooth, and Paintbrush.

For more on this series, see our book, Remapping Paris:

https://www.amazon.com/Remapping-Paris-Jonathan-Reeve-Price/dp/0971995427/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=remapping+paris&qid=1561318709&s=books&sr=1-1

For Kindle, Tablet, or Phone:

https://www.amazon.com/Remapping-Paris-MuseumZero-Jonathan-Price-ebook/dp/B07LDKSWQV/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1561318709&sr=1-1

To follow blog posts about the series, see our blog:

https://museumzero.blogspot.com/2019/01/remapping-paris-01-eiffel-tower.html

Process

Your picture gets our careful, individual attention.

We print it on a baryta-coated fiber-based satin paper with excellent archival properties, enhanced definition, and extended tonal range. Then we laminate the print to preserve the image against fingerprints and dust. Overall, our printing process takes approximately two weeks.

We then ship the print to you in a solid mailing tube, using U.S. Priority Mail, insured for the full value. We send you an email with the tracking number. Shipping usually takes 2 business days.