What’s a deep map?

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A deep map is an engaged representation of place, representing a literary and documentary approach to mapping a place. A deep map combines history, topography, politics, photographs, and folklore, among others, to map a limited space. It is not strictly geographical, topographical or objective. Combine opinion with politicization, poetry and factionalism. It’s a multidimensional approach to conveying the feeling of a place. It is a kind of vertical travel writing and topographic exploration.

The deep map became popular and best known with PrairyErth: A Deep Map (1991). This deep map, written by William Least Heat-Moon, was an exploration of Chase County, Kansas. Chase County is the last remaining stretch of tall grass prairie in the country. Heat-Moon composed his book through hand-drawn illustrations and maps of the area, recounting anecdotes of city folk, recounting the politics of the area, and recounting impressions of him. This book would eventually be part two of a topographical Heat-Moon trilogy. The others included a deep map tracing Lewis and Clark’s path of exploration.

A Deep Map differs from most geographical and historical documentaries in its strong literary style and opinionated prose. For this reason, deep mapping can also be done in long form for radio broadcasts. Some have called this deep mapping art form “vertical travel writing” and compared it to topographical exploration books written by 17th and 18th century pioneers such as Alexis de Tocqueville.

A Deep Map, in the tradition of de Tocqueville’s description of American life in the 19th century, has much more than documentary. Includes
natural history and juxtapositions of land and people. A deep map includes a biography of the people and the autobiography of the writer and traveler. Deep mapping can take days, months or years as the mapper gains an understanding of the people and the place. The mapper must collect images, sounds, feelings and stories. A deep map spans multiple media. They are, at their heart, multilayered and topographical.

Deep maps can include graphic works, along with time-based media and archives. They can be made by the amateur or by the artist, and are therefore often passionate reflections. Deep maps, due to their nature, are not permanent. They transcend time and reflect a place across time, peoples and feelings. Because of these involvements in mapping, deep maps have been called “participatory history”.

This art, which has been compared to geography and history, is set apart and very much involved with both. Deep Maps combine the human connections of fiction and literature with the non-fictional, topographical feel of a travelogue.

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