What is a Map?

A map can be described as a graphic statement that locates facts. In other words, a map is a visual representation of facts — more specifically where the facts are located. Maps are a way to tell someone, “X exists here.” They are a way to keep record of where things are, were, are going to be, or could have been. A map is related to the world it depicts, because it is an accurate representation simply of the placement and arrangement of objects. Maps neglect to inform the consumer of what being in one of these physical places is like. I find it to be similar to the idea that seeing Chicago from the Hancock Centre is not the same as walking through it. From so far away, and at that scale, all you can be concerned about is objects. It is hard to dive deeper and see these inanimate objects as organs of a living entity — a city.

While maps on their own might not be able to give you a complete understanding of an area, maps can be manipulated in several ways to illustrate statistics and numbers in different geographical locations. In other words, plotting a map on one axis against statistics on the other can result in an informational map which can give the reader more information than simple geography and locations. Maps can be manipulated to reveal areas of inequity and injustice. Such is the case with the folded map project. I found reading about this fairly interesting, but I also feel as though I had already known about some of the disparities in Chicago simply from my time walking through different neighborhoods in the city.