Ideas | Portico Magazine | Spring 2025
Spotlight
A European Literary Map of London
Dr Uta Staiger and Lucy Shackleton guide us through a lockdown-born online map and physical exhibition revealing London’s dichotomies through a literary lens.
When Covid lockdowns meant new UCL students couldn’t travel to London, a team of UCL staff developed an interactive project to recreate a version of London to connect them to the city, the university and their course subject matter. The resulting European Literary Map of London is an intellectual exercise through which contributors and visitors engage with literature and texts written across various languages and centuries, from very different points of view.
Since its online launch, the map has been brought to life through Lost & Found, a physical exhibition open to the public which has been displayed in London, Brussels, Madrid and Stockholm, with more cities to follow.
Dr Uta Staiger (Associate Professor of European Studies; Director of the UCL European Institute), a key member of the team behind the map, takes us through its evolution, curation and how it is being used in UCL teaching today.
A response to circumstances
The European Literary Map of London was a response to a call from the UCL Faculty of Arts & Humanities during lockdown. Many students enrolling to study European literatures and languages would not be able to come to London and would have to study remotely. We wanted to create a diverse and exciting set of resources to help those students feel connected to UCL and engaged in our community.
Importantly, we wanted to ensure the students felt a sense of being in London, at least in spirit, even if not physically present. So, I decided to create a literary snapshot of London for them.
I contacted colleagues, especially but not exclusively literary scholars within UCL who I knew to have different language skills, to request suggestions for texts. EUNIC London – the European Union National Institutes of Culture – became an important external partner for the project, with staff at many institutes writing in to propose texts. I also researched archives and online sources to bring together over 50 texts in 20 different languages, all of which had been written in London, about London – across centuries, circumstances, and genres.
This is how it started and from there we built the first version of the map. Then, due to a twist of fate, we lost the map entirely.
Since its online launch, the map has been brought to life through Lost & Found, a physical exhibition open to the public which has been displayed in London, Brussels, Madrid and Stockholm, with more cities to follow.
Dr Uta Staiger (Associate Professor of European Studies; Director of the UCL European Institute), a key member of the team behind the map, takes us through its evolution, curation and how it is being used in UCL teaching today.
A response to circumstances
The European Literary Map of London was a response to a call from the UCL Faculty of Arts & Humanities during lockdown. Many students enrolling to study European literatures and languages would not be able to come to London and would have to study remotely. We wanted to create a diverse and exciting set of resources to help those students feel connected to UCL and engaged in our community.
Importantly, we wanted to ensure the students felt a sense of being in London, at least in spirit, even if not physically present. So, I decided to create a literary snapshot of London for them.
I contacted as many people within UCL as I could who I knew to have different language skills. I requested suggestions for texts as well as researching archives and online sources to bring together texts in around 20 different languages, all of which had been written in London or about London.
This is how it started and from there we built the first version of the map. Then, due to a twist of fate, we lost the map entirely.
Rebirth and curation
I was fortunate to have saved about 80% of the map, but it still needed reconstructing. As is often the case with failure, beautiful things emerged on the other side. Our team came together again and relaunched the map, making it bigger, better and more comprehensive.
The European writers selected for the map had to fulfil a set of criteria: they had to be published authors – we only dealt with literary texts from recognised historical figures and intellectuals – and the entries would be text-based only.
We decided not to recreate the map solely along language lines, as this project isn't just about countries or languages. What's truly interesting is the content of these texts. Our expanded team developed six sets of oppositional conceptual pairs, many of which will be recognisable to any of the map’s viewers who have visited or lived in London: Pleasure and Disgust; Noise and Nature; Familiar and Other. Every entry was logged under one of these themes.
Enriching teaching
The map has been used by translators to find new particular forms of writing and explore different forms of translation. For example, Professor of German Studies, Mererid Puw Davies had students translate Bertolt Brecht’s Mack the Knife into English and Cockney. Starting as class projects, Professor Davies set the task of exploring the map and researching German-language texts that might be suitable for inclusion. Students submitted their suggestions individually, and then in class, briefly presented their choice of text and talked the group through their research process, the text itself, and the reasons for their selection.
The map has been integrated into various teaching modules as a tool for teaching map-making and literary cartographies. It is also used in the UCL Turing Summer School modules in European cities, engaging students in writing and mapping their responses to those cities. I am continuing to work with course convenors to explore new ways in which the map can enrich our teaching.
We are always looking for submissions of new texts —the more we receive, the richer the map becomes.
It’s been wonderful to see this project grow so much over time; I didn’t expect it to go this far. What emanated from a 'covid lockdown bedroom’ has become a significant conceptual and practical endeavour. I would love for more people to join and help build it further.
Rebirth and curation
I was fortunate to have saved about 80% of the map, but it still needed reconstructing. As is often the case with failure, beautiful things emerged on the other side. Our team came together again and relaunched the map, making it bigger, better and more comprehensive.
The European writers selected for the map had to fulfil a set of criteria: they had to be published authors – we only dealt with literary texts from recognised historical figures and intellectuals – and the entries would be text-based only.
We decided not to recreate the map solely along language lines, as this project isn't just about countries or languages. What's truly interesting is the content of these texts. Our expanded team developed six sets of oppositional conceptual pairs, many of which will be recognisable to any of the map’s viewers who have visited or lived in London: Pleasure and Disgust; Noise and Nature; Familiar and Other. Every entry was logged under one of these themes.
Enriching teaching
Translators have used the map to find new, particular forms of writing and explore different forms of translation. For example, Professor of German Studies Mererid Puw Davies had students translate Bertolt Brecht’s Mack the Knife into English and Cockney. Starting as class projects, Professor Davies set the task of exploring the map and researching German-language texts that might be suitable for inclusion. Students submitted their suggestions individually, and then in class, briefly presented their choice of text and talked the group through their research process, the text itself, and the reasons for their selection.
The map has been integrated into various teaching modules as a tool for teaching map-making and literary cartographies. It is also used in the UCL Turing Summer School modules in European cities, engaging students in writing and mapping their responses to those cities. I am continuing to work with course convenors to explore new ways in which the map can enrich our teaching.
We are always looking for submissions of new texts —the more we receive, the richer the map becomes.
It’s been wonderful to see this project grow so much over time; I didn’t expect it to go this far. What emanated from a 'covid lockdown bedroom’ has become a significant conceptual and practical endeavour. I would love for more people to join and help build it further.
"We also want to bring European research to the forefront of the public’s perception and to foster academic exchange among scholars who work on city writing, space and literature. By engaging academically with these topics, we hope to expand and enrich this intellectual field."
Lucy Shackleton (Head of Public Policy and Partnerships, UCL European Institute), who led on external engagement associated with the European Literary Map of London, from the curation of a Lost & Found exhibition to an associated Writer in Residence scheme, shared further insights.
Lost & Found – from online map to physical exhibition
When I arrived at UCL, the map was primarily an internal resource, but seemed to me a wonderful tool for engaging European stakeholders in London and across the continent.
In refreshing the map, we were able to draw on contributions and ideas from embassies and cultural institutes, partner universities and creative practitioners across Europe.
To further enhance the map's profile, and with support from UCL Libraries, Culture, Collections and Open Science and UCL Innovation and Enterprise, I curated a public exhibition based on the map which took over UCL’s South Cloisters for the duration of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Partners and reactions
The exhibition brought to life the online map, and inspired reflections on the city as a place where people, languages and cultures meet and are transformed. Hosted by Prof. Alan Thompson, Pro-Provost for London, and with remarks from EU Ambassador to the UK Pedro Serrano, our launch event was a joyous celebration of languages at UCL, and a valuable opportunity to consolidate external partnerships.
The exhibition came at a time when EU-UK relations were quite difficult and when the European community at UCL, as elsewhere, was impacted by those political tensions. In this context, the exhibition was a valuable reminder of our shared literary and cultural heritage, as well as an opportunity to showcase the breadth and depth of UCL's expertise on European languages and culture to diverse external audiences.
International opportunities
The UCL exhibition caught the eye of the Soft Power team at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), as a means of highlighting the longstanding cultural and literary connections between the UK and the European Union. Making use of funding from the FCDO's Challenge Fund, we were able to develop a pop-up version of the exhibition that has now been displayed in Belgium, Spain and Sweden, with a German version currently in production.
For these international exhibitions, we worked with each participating UK embassy to develop a bespoke display, featuring content relevant to the location - and to scope opportunities for associated programming.
For example, the Belgian display was a centre piece at the UK Mission to the EU's annual diplomatic reception, which last year had an arts and culture focus. It also appeared at the Passaporta International Literature Festival, the largest literature festival in Benelux - alongside discussions on the role of location in literature with participation from UCL.
In Spain, through a partnership with El Corte Inglés, the units have appeared at the launch of the opening of the Hay Forum Festival in Seville, as well as in El Corte Inglés "salas culturales" in Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona, while in Germany and Sweden the exhibition will appear in public libraries, with accompanying programming on bilateral literary connections.
Lucy Shackleton (Head of Public Policy and Partnerships, UCL European Institute), who led on external engagement associated with the European Literary Map of London, from the curation of a Lost & Found exhibition to an associated Writer in Residence scheme, shared further insights.
Lost & Found – from online map to physical exhibition
When I arrived at UCL, the map was primarily an internal resource, but seemed to me a wonderful tool for engaging European stakeholders in London and across the continent.
In refreshing the map, we were able to draw on contributions and ideas from Embassies and cultural institutes, partner universities and creative practitioners across Europe.
To further enhance the map's profile, and with support from UCL Libraries, Culture, Collections and Open Science and UCL Innovation and Enterprise, I curated a public exhibition based on the Map which took over UCL’s South Cloisters for the duration of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Partners and reactions
The exhibition brought to life the online map, and inspired reflections on the city as a place where people, languages and cultures meet and are transformed. Hosted by Prof. Alan Thompson, Pro-Provost for London, and with remarks from EU Ambassador to the UK Pedro Serrano, our launch event was a joyous celebration of languages at UCL, and a valuable opportunity to consolidate external partnerships.
The exhibition came at a time when EU-UK relations were quite difficult and when the European community at UCL, as elsewhere, was impacted by those political tensions.In this context, the exhibition was a valuable reminder of our shared literary and cultural heritage, as well as an opportunity to showcase the breadth and depth of UCL's expertise on European languages and culture to diverse external audiences.
International opportunities
The UCL exhibition caught the eye of the Soft Power team at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), as a means of highlighting the longstanding cultural and literary connections between the UK and the European Union. Making use of funding from the FCDO's Challenge Fund, we were able to develop a pop-up version of the exhibition that has now been displayed in Belgium, Spain and Sweden, with a German version currently in production.
For these international exhibitions, we worked with each participating UK embassy to develop a bespoke display, featuring content relevant to the location - and to scope opportunities for associated programming.
For example, the Belgian display was a centre piece at the UK Mission to the EU's annual diplomatic reception, which last year had an arts and culture focus. It also appeared at the Passaporta International Literature Festival, the largest literature festival in Benelux - alongside discussions on the role of location in literature with participation from UCL. In Spain, through a partnership with El Corte Inglés, the units have appeared at the launch of the opening of the Hay Forum Festival in Seville, as well as in El Corte Inglés "salas culturales" in Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona, while in Germany and Sweden the exhibition will appear in public libraries, with accompanying programming on bilateral literary connections.
"The experience at UCL was wonderful. I am still processing a lot of what I had the chance to experience, from working in the archives to meeting with faculty members and participating in events. The chance to explore London, visit cultural institutions and museums, talk to locals, see so many faces of the city – this is invaluable. The London of my literature will largely be the London of this residency, because it’s such a distilled experience of not just having a room of one’s own, but a city of one’s own, in a sense."
Connecting beyond UCL; working together
The exhibition and international transfers have provided a focal point for broader activities linked to the European Literary Map of London, not least our associated Writer in Residence scheme - which aims to catalyse new writing on London from a European perspective, diversify the map and support EU-UK cultural exchange - in partnership with EUNIC London and the European Literature Network.
Last year we welcomed Bulgarian writer Joanna Elmy as our inaugural Writer in Residence, while this summer we are delighted to be hosting Ciara Broderick. During her time at UCL, Ciara will be developing new writing on the Irish immigrant diaspora in London, while simultaneously contributing to teaching and public engagement efforts linked to the map.
Alongside the development of these new external partnerships, the European Literary Map of London project has highlighted how much can be achieved when different parts of UCL work together. The digital map employs technology developed at UCL by Dr Duncan Hay (UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis). The map is supporting innovative teaching across UCL Arts & Humanities. We have run school outreach activity linked to the map, and contributed to literary and cultural events in London and across Europe. Our efforts have received generous support from UCL Innovation and Enterprise, UCL Global Engagement, UCL Grand Challenges and UCL London Office.
Opportunities to get involved
This project has already benefitted enormously from the input and engagement of UCL's alumni community. In 2023, we commissioned IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society alum Jessica Dunks to produce teaching resources based on the map for GCSE and A level students studying Modern Foreign Languages. Earlier this year, the map provided a focal point for an alumni engagement reception in Stockholm.
Looking to the future, we welcome UCL alumni contributions to the map, as diversification remains a key priority for us. The online map has a feature allowing users to contribute ideas for texts that aren't yet included: we are looking for literary passages describing an encounter with London in European languages other than English and will credit contributors.
Alumni based in any of the destinations where we have pop-up displays are also encouraged to keep track of activities via subscribing to the UCL European Institute newsletter, following the map on Instagram or Bluesky, or attending related events.
Portico magazine features stories for and from the UCL community. If you have a story to tell or feedback to share, contact advancement@ucl.ac.uk
Editor: Lauren Cain
Editorial team: Ray Antwi, Laili Kwok, Harry Latter, Bryony Merritt, Lucy Morrish, Alex Norton
Shorthand presentation: Harpoon Productions
Additional design support: Boyle&Perks
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