Deep Mapping walk with Beitske Bouwman

Drawing on her background in environmental science, Fanja Bouts focuses on mapping the complexity of systems that shape human and more-than-human worlds. Her installation for Sonsbeek, Landscapes looking back, consists of a network of stained-glass panels that look at Park Sonsbeek from the perspectives of defining elements within the park: the Sint Jansbeek stream, the rhododendron, the beech tree, and the deer enclosure. The panels invite visitors to reflect on how these elements have been brought together within the park and what memories they might hold.

To help explore these questions, Fanja Bouts has created a deep mapping booklet, available free of charge at the Sonsbeek 2026 information point at Molenplaats. The booklet contains exercises and questions that introduce you to the world of deep maps. A deep map is more than an ordinary map. Alongside paths, buildings, and changes in elevation, a deep map also charts stories, memories, sounds, smells, encounters, and experiences. It is a way of looking closely at a place and discovering its many different layers.

With this idea in mind, Beitske Bouwman will take you on a walk through Park Sonsbeek on Wednesday, September 2. During the walk, Bouwman will take a closer look at Fanja Bouts’ works and invite you to experience both the artworks and the practice of deep mapping through the body. What happens when you open your perspective and experience to a more-than-human point of view?

Participation is free. Please register beforehand.