15 Image of Greenwich, London in the time of Charles II
1 Admiral Nelson’s Funeral procession on the River Thames
16 John Harrison's H4 Time Piece which won the Longitude prize
2 South American Globe Symbolising the stable world
17 John Harrison’s Prototype for solving the Longitude problem
3 Admiral Nelson being brought back on the damage HMS Victory from the Battle of Trafalgar at Gibraltar
19 HMS Bounty, Captain Cook’s Ship
4 Shipwreck caricatures from the James Gillray shipwreck scenes
20 The 5 Continents of the world – symbolising that Longitude was used to map the worlds ocean
5 Ship mast structure and 18th century lamp
21 Satellite image of central Paris. (These satellite images symbolise the modern ideas of exploration now).
6 The Manhattan skyline, New York City
22 Mechanical automata guiding ships safely, this represents what happened after the Longitude problem was solved by John Harrison
7 JMW Turner Steam ship painting symbolising the modern world and industrial power in the 19th Century
23 The Louvre museum, Paris
8 18th century clipper ship – ship of discovery
24 Satellite image of central London. (These satellite images symbolise the modern ideas of exploration now)
9 Statue of Liberty – in a beacon of light chandelier
25 Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower) representing world time
10 The Brooklyn Bridge, New York City
26 Shipwreck caricatures from the James Gillray shipwreck scenes
11 H4 – John Harrison’s chronometer that solved and won the prize for Longitude
27 Royal Hospital Greenwich by Sir Christopher Wren
12 Industrial revolution – coal train and Lions representing strength and imperial power
28 Admiral Nelson’s Battle Victories
13 Sir Walter Raleigh
29 Satellite image of the Millennium Dome and the East end of London
14 Portrait of Admiral Lord Nelson
30 Captain Scott’s expedition to the Antarctic
The ideas and context behind Neil’s Longitude etching
The starting point for this work stemmed from Neil's interest in the visual world; it’s history and development through creative and inventive processes, and how these have in turn shaped the modern planet we live in. Neil was and is fascinated by the history of Longitude and how it was solved by the Yorkshire 18th Century clock maker and inventor John Harrison (1693 -1776); this became the focal point for his etching 'Longitude'.