The exhibition examines how maps have been used to conceal, distort and control information throughout history, inviting visitors to explore hidden cartographies created by states, communities and individuals. Alongside rare historical maps and declassified military documents, Secret Maps highlights contemporary work that uncovers modern forms of secrecy – including Ollie’s work with investigative journalism organisation Bellingcat on identifying “dark ships.”
Exposing the hidden movements of “dark ships”
The installation introduces audiences to Ollie’s ongoing research into vessels that deliberately obscure their identity by disabling or manipulating their public tracking systems. These “dark ships” often operate in areas linked to illegal fishing, sanctions evasion and other illicit maritime activities. Recent investigations have shown how such vessels exploit blind spots in satellite monitoring to undertake actions that would otherwise be visible, such as Russian naval movements during the ongoing war in Ukraine and US Navy surveillance near Venezuelan waters.
Harnessing open-source intelligence (OSINT)
Ollie’s work draws on the rapidly expanding field of open-source intelligence (OSINT), transformed in recent years by public access to technologies once limited to military and intelligence agencies. Satellite imagery, vessel-tracking data and geospatial analysis are now widely available to independent investigators, researchers and journalists.
By combining this openly accessible data with vessel-borne GPS signals, Ollie has trained machine-learning models to identify and detect suspicious behaviour across global shipping routes. Integrating multiple data streams enables the system to flag vessels that may be deliberately concealing their movements – offering a powerful new method for monitoring high-risk maritime regions.
Secret Maps is open to the public until 18 January 2026.
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