The Great Bear - Definition and Overview

The Great Bear is an artwork by Simon Patterson produced in 1996. At first glance the work looks like the London Tube map, but Patterson uses each line to represent groups of people, from scientists, saints and philosophers to comedians, explorers and footballers. He subverts the concept of maps and diagrams as authoritative sources, and challenges our assumption that they can be utilised without question by taking this iconic information source and adding his own idiosyncratic data to it.

"Great Bear" is also the English translation of the constellation Ursa Major.

External links

• The Great Bear (http://www.dareonline.org/artwork/patterson/patterson2.html)
• The Great Bear (detail) (http://www.dareonline.org/artwork/patterson/patterson3.html)