Abstractions

For a long time now, this chart of the aerodrome at Keflavik International Airport has been one of my favorite maps I’ve ever seen. Seriously. I carry a full-color laser print of it around with me. I love it the way Tufte loves that Minard chart of Napoleon’s Russian campaign. (You used to be able to view the map at the Keflavik Airport site itself, but either they’ve taken it down, or the page that’s supposed to have it has a miscoded image tag. I found it in the archive wayback machine, and am hosting it myself.) I am, of course, more than a bit interested in Iceland as a possible travel destination, but the fascination here is more with the map as such. I just think it’s well drawn. I like the colors, and I think it reflects a schematic elegance as well.

More recently, I came across this image of the physical aerodrome itself. While it’s kind of neat to see a more literal depiction of something that’s been a schematic abstraction in my head for years, I have to keep in mind that the photo is its own sort of abstraction, as well. I’d hate to hazard that either is any closer to the truth of the actual location.

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