Around the World in 366 Boxes - a Daily Project for 2020

It recently occurred to me that I make 3D art from maps, which are a 2D representation of a 3D world - so in this daily project for 2020 I wanted to experiment with hundreds (literally) of ways to create a 3D mini piece of art using something from a map or an atlas, a 3.5” x 3.5” x 1” box, and anything else I might want to include.

How to buy boxes: Boxes are $250 each, or 3 for $500. View them on Facebook or Instagram then Email me with the date and # of the box you would like along with your contact information. (Sold boxes are labeled as such on FB and IG.)

About the project: Sian Robertson, a self-taught artist originally from the UK who has lived on the outer Cape for over 20 years, likes to say that a beautiful map makes her heart race and her hand reach for her X-acto knife. And this year her hand has reached for that knife every single day as she works on her daily project Around the World in 366 Boxes, where she creates a small piece of art that contains some sort of cartographic element and fits in a 3.5" square box. When she started the project she had no idea how long most of the boxes would take to make but, with the pandemic limiting job opportunities and social gatherings, 2020 turns out to have been a good year to take on such an endeavor. Known for her work created from used maps, Robertson is driven almost entirely by the aesthetics of the colors and shapes within them. But the beauty of a project to create 366 pieces of art (it is a leap year after all) is that it gives her the freedom to experiment, to be more playful. The maps and cartographic charts have been cut, torn, layered, rolled, curled and often combined with other elements such as vintage photos, postage stamps, tiny glass bottles, old toys, red map pins, and more. The results range from narrative to abstract, sculptural to delicate, simple to complex; each one standing on its own individually, and as a whole a wild mosaic of adventures across the world.

Press: Howard Karren, The Provincetown Independent, December 17th 2020, Sian Robertson Maps Out the Year 2020