Denis Wood 'Everything Sings'

During one of Rob Lycett's Thursday lectures, one of the Various Books we were suggested to read up on was a book called 'Everything Sings' by Denis Wood. The book features an innovative portrayal to mapping, the maps are rather unusual and possibly considered impractical which is what I like about them, Maps are created with a purpose and a job, to get you from point 'A' to point 'B'. Denis creates these maps but in a very different perspective instead of showing roads and train lines, he illustrates a map of a small vicinity where the only thing illustrated are little circles and squares labeled "disfigured trees". Denis surveyed a place called Boylan heights and throughout this book he documents various neighbourhoods using creative and interesting subjects such as 'Squirrel Highway' where he observed how the local wildlife would traverse, in this case Squirrels would use the telephone wires to travel safely over roads. 

One of my personal favourites from the book is the 'Side walk Graffiti' where he has created a map of a neighbourhood in Boylan Heights but without any street names or information other than graffiti found throughout the neighbourhood itself. 

As a form of inspiration, I would like to incorporate the work of Denis wood into my concertina sketchbook, although currently I am unsure about what to document specifically, I have decided on documenting the town centre of huddersfield due to it's small size but additionally with the three main roads of Castlegate, Queensgate and Southgate circling the town centre, it gives me a 'Border' to work within.