The World Turned Upside Down, Contemporary sculpture at London School of Economics, United Kingdom
The World Turned Upside Down is a large metal sculpture in Westminster featuring a globe about 13 feet (4 meters) in diameter. The sphere sits inverted on its North Pole, reversing the standard geographical orientation people normally see.
Created by Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger, the sculpture was unveiled in 2019. It immediately sparked debate about how territories are represented and perceived on maps.
The upside-down globe places Antarctica at the top and invites viewers to question their usual understanding of how continents relate to each other. This reversed view reveals how much we rely on a single conventional map orientation in our daily thinking.
The sculpture sits behind the Peacock Theatre and is easily reached via Holborn station on the Central and Piccadilly lines or Temple station on the Circle line. Being outdoors in a busy commercial area, it is best viewed during daylight hours and in decent weather.
Taiwan is shown as a separate country and Lhasa is labeled as a capital, details that sparked controversy and led to explanatory plaques being added to the work. These choices reveal how politics can shape even something as seemingly neutral as world maps.
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