DU Contemporary Archaeology

A side view of a large Victorian Mill in early morning sunshine. An allotment at the side of the structure, plants and flowers in blue shadow in the foreground, a long greenhouse with many windows in the middle and a tall chimney in the distance. Sunlight beaming through the branches of a tree in the far distance of the allotment. Red lettering on the side of the mill read: SALTS. The sunlight makes the stone of the mill a golden, honey colour. Peaceful, calming.

Salts Mill, Saltaire.
Watercolour, acrylics and black pen, 2019.

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this is great- what other ways might you have tried doing the mapping beyond using Google Earth?

Thank you for reading this thread! Feel free to comment with any questions you have about the project or deep mapping in general and I’ll do my best to answer them. [12/12]

I can see how this technique is very versatile. Examples include a map showing spots relating to a certain history or political stance, or a map showing places of importance to a culture or individual, or even just showing all the best cafes in an area. [11/12]

This project was a very interesting thing to do. Some places (e.g. the Cathedral) would be on any normal map. However, some of them were places that would never usually have been put on a map (e.g. an old car frame in the woods and a tree stump where someone sat for hours studying). [10/12]

I feel as if next time I go past each of these places they will have a new meaning to me as I know they hold memories or feelings for my friends and colleagues. It was nice to be told little personal stories about each place. [9/12]

I found that there were 3 common types of reasons for a place being meaningful: a specific memory such as their deed poll being signed; a place of a repeated nice memory such as mine which was often taking a walk there with my partner; and then places they frequent often for work or study. [8/12]

A screenshot from a Google Earth project showing a highlighted location (Ushaw House). It shows a photo and written text of the reason for Ushaw House being picked.

I named each location on the map, wrote down the stories associated with that spot, and added relevant pictures; some locations had more than one story behind them. [7/12]

A map showing all 10 locations in Durham

Once I had asked everyone I selected 10 locations to highlight in a Google Earth project folder. I had more locations than needed as, when asked, people were eager to talk about a nice memory that otherwise wouldn't have been mentioned, it let me get to know a little more about them. [6/12]

I set about asking my friends and colleagues who I knew in the Durham area for memories they associate with or that took place in Durham. I asked them to provide a location in Durham, a short story, and possibly a picture to go with their contribution. [5/12]

In archaeology, deep mapping is usually a collaboration of a community, each sharing memories of important places - either individual or collective, because of this I decided to include memories and places of the people around me within my deep map project for a more collaborative feel to it. [4/12]

I undertook a ‘deep-mapping’ project in order to create a map of Durham that showed more than just the layout of streets but gave more information about places that had meaning to certain individuals. [3/12]

Deep mapping emerged as a way of challenging and critiquing traditional mapping techniques that only present the maps in a certain way (often in a top-down cartographic style). Maps are selective in what they show and can be edited to fit the criteria of the maker. [2/12]

Hi! This thread will be centred around a project I did for my Contemporary Archaeology module. I have done this thread for a workshop/social media conference today. [1/12]

Great to see @arcdurham.bsky.social Dept of Archaeology, Durham University arriving on Bluesky - give them a follow!

This is fabulous- how did your dad find the experience of making this? is it what he expected from an archaeology course?

Post is both a preview and quick summary of what my dad describes in the video. I highly recommend watching the video if possible!

Finally, to conclude these posts, I wanted to add a memory from my father, who undertook a small deep-mapping assignment from his perspective. In his youth, he experienced this landscape differently.

You can find the full video here: drive.google.com/file/d/1B9Ju...

Post analyses a strange feature spotted from an Algorithmic Derive through Google Earth in Medellin.

As for psychogeography, after conducting an Algorithmic Derive through Medellin (starting at my old apartment), the most interesting observations were noted. Among these is a feature I have never seen, with a potentially significant contemporary role in the city.

Post explores the increasingly popular trend of the upper class building luxurious homes in remote areas outside Medellin.

I remember once a few years ago being invited with my family to a farm in this area (La Siria) by some of my parents' friends. It is not what I expected, since the 'farm' felt more like a luxurious house you would find in a city. Is this part of a new trend of sorts?

Post shows images of the restaurant and its mill, as well as the process of traditional panela making at the restaurant itself.

Located the furthest from Medellin, I used to stay at my grandfather's farm in the town of Jardin when I was younger. In that time, we would go to this small restaurant nearby, which had delicious seafood and a traditional way of making panela.

Post describes the importance of unofficial trails as commercial routes in the contemporary past.

When staying at a farm in the town of Venecia, my family and I would often go on this dirt trail heading up to a settlement called La Mina. In the contemporary past, it was used by miners moving up to La Mina from Venecia when a gold mine was discovered there in the 20th century.

Post showing the similarities of both towns in the preservation of the railway's legacy.

The fifth and sixth locations are combined to better emphasise the importance of the railway in the contemporary past. I have passed by Los Palomos and Cisneros on the journey to different places and have always admired the legacy left by the railway there.

Post showing the downfall of a building which used to an important commercial, cultural and social centre in Medellin.

The fourth location is based on the extinct (in 1962) Antioquia Railway based out of Medellin. When I went to its Railway Station back in 2022 I was shocked at how empty it was inside. For how much my grandparents reminisce about the railway, it is a sad sight to behold!

Post showing the traditional house in question and its owners' possible efforts to remain undisturbed amidst a growing modernism.

This third location invites reflection. Very close to were my apartment was, I saw this very traditional house sandwiched between 'modern' buildings. 50 years ago, this area would have been full of houses like these, but now, is it one of the last standing?

Post showing the possible connection between the 'Han Solo' sign and the growing influence of international pop. culture, generating popularity for the Star Wars films.

The second location is one which I frequented in 2022-2023. Passing this sign everyday as I went to school, I always thought it was a cool reference, but studied it further to try to comprehend the implications of its presence!

Post showing Botero Plaza and El Hueco Markets, two distinctly 'modern' areas.

Speaking of Parque Berrio and as the first deep mapping location...It is also possible to explore the changes to areas adjacent to it. What was once a more traditionally 19th century (and prior) landscape, seems almost unrecognizable when I went there last year.

Post showing the changes in the landscape of Berrio Park, Medellin.

Delving into the contemporary history of one of the most important parks in Medellin, certain changes are noticeable which may not be visually apparent. In fact, when I go to this park, I still find it hard to imagine it looked so different back then!

Post shows the approx. locations of my friends' houses and the times to get to Medellin from them.

To start off, it is essential to look at the potential issues with the general mapping of Medellin. Though general maps are useful in understanding certain aspects of the landscape, distance and time can be variable due to Medellin's mountainous topography.