Mapping Project 387

Partially as a natural result of spending so much time exploring and thinking deeply about the place, and partly as a way of fleshing out a concept for a series of conceptual wayfinding sculptures embedded in the landscape, we created a map of the grounds of the Project 387 residency. 

The director gave us a copy of a surveyors map, which helped us establish the boundaries and indicate elevation contours. We used a GPS unit to capture our forays around the property and to mark the locations of significant features. 

Once we had a base, we sat down with the people most closely connected with the land and located their personal places of significance on the map. 

Next we transferred all of the hand-drawn annotations into the digital file. Different categories of landmark emerged, including Points of Interest, Important Trees, Memories, and Intangible Things, which we called out in the legend and gave unique graphical treatments.

The finished map shows roads, paths, creeks, and structures in addition to the more autobiographical landmarks contributed by staff. Working in Illustrator instead of in GIS software freed us to take artistic liberties with the exact geographical locations of things, nevertheless, you really could use this map to find your way to physical features of the property, in addition to some locations associated with powerful -- but invisible -- memories.