There is no such thing as the objective map. Every cartographic endeavour seeks to map out a kind of ‘truth’ whilst leaving out other ‘truths’. Taking this as my theoretical claim, I have set out to create a series of maps of Sydney through a highly subjective and personal point of view. In ‘Gay Map of Sydney’ I use my own personal life as a gay man in Sydney, my experiences, interactions, anecdotes, shared community, history and subculture to ‘map’ the, at times, subterranean geography of gay men in Sydney. For most of Sydney’s history gay sex was illegal and the gay male community had to use their own slang language, hidden references and secret meeting places to create secret ‘maps’ of where to be themselves without persecution.

Today with the advent of Grindr and other gay dating location apps a new kind of subculture geography has emerged. This map traces this history, geography and subculture using humor, according to this gay male Millennial. In addition the aesthetic of the map references 15th century maps of the world. Incorporating the the borders of the map the different ‘life stages’ of a gay man.

Linking the changes of a gay mans life age based communities and key life events to the seasonal changes in a year. From Twink in Spring with coming out of the closet, to Jock in Summer with going to Mardi Gras, to Bear in Autumn with gay sex and finally Daddy in Winter, with marriage. Ultimately the artwork hopes to inspire the audience to think about their own personal internal ‘maps’ of how they see their city based on their own unique culture, history and language.