Talking Points: Grayson Perry A Map of Days
How can we express our identity through our creativity?
Grayson Perry is an English artist who works across a range of mediums, including pottery, embroidery, performance, and drawing. He creates work which reflects both his own identity and that of Britain. Below, we explore one of his self-portraits in which he represents himself through a map.
Look at the resources below and use the following questions to begin a discussion about A Map of Days.
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A Map of Days by Grayson Perry
“Grayson Perry RA created this map of a walled city as a self-portrait for an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. He said ‘I thought the walled city was a good metaphor – the wall, I suppose, can roughly be interpreted as your skin. But like any city, it’s dependent on the landscape it sits in as well.’ “ RA
See the Map on Google Arts & Culture.
Interview about the making of the map.
Note for teachers on adult content: Please be advised that from 0.24 to 0.39 and 1.34 until 1.57 of this video, there is inappropriate language shown on the map. You may wish to show up to this point or to skip past the shot of the language in question.
Questions to Ask Children:
How does Grayson Perry use text in the map?
Can you find text on buildings as well as street names? How do you think he decides which text to make small, and which to make larger?
How much does Grayson Perry reveal about himself through the map?
Can you spot any symbols or visual metaphors?
This Talking Points Is Used In...
using sketchbooks to make visual notes
Show me what you see
