At the Wild exhibition at Manchester Museum (Wild, n.d.), I sought to find out more about how I could answer the question, "What is work in a digital world?" What stood out most to me during the Wild exhibition that would help in answering this multifaceted question was this artefact:

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This artefact made by the Noongar Boodjar Language Cultural Aboriginal Corporation (Noongar Boodjar Language Cultural Aboriginal Corporation, 2024) initially caught my eye due to its bold vibrant design. The use of vivid colours and clearly laid out boundaries makes the map visually striking, drawing you in.

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William Rankin’s geoepistemology theory (Rankin, 2017) resonates with this piece. Rankin argues that how we create and understand maps is not only technical but also shaped by the values and tools of those who make them. This Noongar map does more than mark territory; it tells a story of cultural identity and deep connection to land. It reminds me that work in a digital world is about more than efficiency—it is about understanding and representing diverse perspectives. Digital work should capture complexity, honor cultural narratives, and be as engaging as this vibrant map. Both the artefact and Rankin’s ideas challenge us to rethink how knowledge is created and shared in our digital age.

References:

Photo of a brown lake under blue sky by Ondrej Machart on Unsplash.

Noongar Boodjar Language Cultural Aboriginal Corporation (2024) Noongarboodjar.com.au. [Online] [Accessed on 8th February 2025] http://noongarboodjar.com.au/.

Rankin, W. (2017) The Grid and the Territory: Discussing What Comes After the Map with William Rankin | Toynbee Prize Foundation. Toynbee Prize Foundation. [Online] [Accessed on 8th February 2025] https://toynbeeprize.org/posts/william-rankin/.

Wild (n.d.) Manchester Museum. [Online] https://www.museum.manchester.ac.uk/event/wild/.