UN-[TITLED] Cartographies

Artist Marita Dingus reads map on shuttle ride from INScape Arts Chinatown Int’l District to Wa Na Wari Central District. Photo © Bruce Tom.

What can the city today tell us about its past? As we grow and make progress, what gets left behind?Seattle is changing rapidly, and this change not only manifests itself in people and culture but also in the bricks and mortar of the city. While charting a route from the start of the UN-[TITLED] experience to the end, this map calls attention to some of the history that is wrapped up and too often erased in this state of fast-moving development.

The layered backdrop you see on this map shows our current cityscape, starting with a land acknowledgment honoring Seattle's original Suquamish and Duwamish name after Chief Si'ahl. The red undertones indicate the portion of the map historically affected by redlining and laced with racially restrictive covenants. The layering of these unseen geographies creates a palimpsest effect reinforcing past histories that we continue to grapple with today.

In lieu of street names, community landmarks are indicated as guideposts along the path, both highlighting where you are in the city, but more importantly calling attention to these cultural anchors both past and present that have served and continue to serve the multitude of communities that call these neighborhoods home.

The sites shown are by no means an exhaustive list, but instead are a collection of placemakers included here along the travel routes of this project. They acknowledge a few of the many places that conjure deep memories and strong ties within these neighborhoods. This map is meant to be your start for further research.