#326 The Folded Map Project

Folded Map is a visual investigation of Chicago’s communities, using its grid map system to identify mirroring points of the city and directly compare photographs and videos of North and South Side blocks, such as the 6900 block of North Ashland in Rogers Park and the 6900 block of South Ashland in West Englewood.

The Folded Map reveals the inequity that is baked into Chicago’s neighborhoods, and is a visually captivating way for people to understand how Chicago’s legacy of segregation has impacted neighborhoods today.

Through a successful Kickstarter campaign, Tonika Johnson secured resources to create a permanent digital home for Folded Map, so that it can endure as a tool to critically examine American cities from a new perspective. With the funds from the campaign, she seeks to broaden and deepen the website’s content by (1) creating more “Map Twins”; and (2) infusing social science insights and data into the website in order to support a deeper exploration of the issues visually presented through her artistic work.

This interactive online presence will expand the reach of Folded Map, both within the city of Chicago, as well as to other urban areas that have similar issues and inequities. Her goal is to add an interactive map where people can input their address and find their exact “map twin” or just the neighborhood their map twin lives in as well as features based on social science research and insights. This will help viewers connect the dots between the compelling narratives of the “map twins,” and the structural and systemic processes that generated the profoundly different stories of each person and, in the aggregate, continue to segregate Chicago.

RSVP required Braintree now requires all attendees to RSVP beforehand by 12:00 PM. Walk-ins will not be allowed!

ASL This event will not have an American Sign Language interpreter.

Food Food and drinks will be provided. We encourage attendees to bring their own water bottles to reduce waste.