Topographic London: Hills and valleys poster

Topographic London is a set of two posters focussing on London's underlying geographic features. Our everyday view of London is as a sprawling metropolis, with almost all the land occupied by buildings and shaped by man. These posters show London as revealed by Ordnance Survey's DTM (Digital Terrain Model) dataset, with the built environment stripped away to expose the lie of the land, showing how the Thames and its numerous tributaries have shaped the topography, creating ridges, hills and valleys. Much of central London is built on the river's vast flood plains – the shape of the loops of the river as it meanders across the plains are one of the distinguishing features of the city.

The Hills and valleys poster highlights all the London place names that are derived from the geography of their location. Many have become so embedded in our minds that we don't think about the geographic reason why locations such as Muswell Hill and Maida Vale have their names.

2 colour poster screen-printed in metallic silver and green on GF Smith Naturalis Absolute Matt White 160gsm paper. Printed by Bob Eight Pop. Open edition, first edition run of 50 posters, signed in pencil. Dimensions: 500 x 700mm