Other worlds

Questioning the way we represent places, this artwork at the Auckland Botanic Gardens expresses a lifelong interest in maps of all kinds.

Created by Auckland artist Ruth Watson, the four globes of Other worlds represent different ways of mapping the world. One globe shows a 17th century worldview of a waterless planet Earth, while a green-brown globe represents an early 20th century belief that the planet Mars was home to an advanced civilization. A third globe, coloured black, shows where our planet stores carbon, in agriculture, forests and oceans. Finally, instead of the usual sphere, a misshapen white globe shows the European Space Agency's gravitational field mapping.

The globes are both familiar and unusual, encouraging viewers to consider different perspectives on the world.

Other worlds was created in 2018 with the support of the Wellington Sculpture Trust for the 4 Plinths project at Te Papa Tongarewa / Museum of New Zealand.