Artist Gareth Fuller, who is known for his 'mind maps,' charted D.C. The result is a detailed tapestry of the nation's capital city and its history.
Artist Gareth Fuller likes to draw what he calls "maps of the mind." Hand-drawn with a pen and uber-detailed -- almost every city block is represented -- he's made maps of Beijing, Shanghai and his hometown of London on three- to four-foot canvases.
The choice of Washington, D.C., as Fuller's next muse felt like a "given."
"It was something I had to do, rather than going anywhere else. It's the seat of power, which I think in the last five years has felt more relevant [to] somebody who's not from the U.S.," Fuller said.
For three months in 2023, Fuller laced up his Nike Air Maxes, slapped on sunscreen and shades, and packed a black fanny pack with portable chargers and blister pouches to embark on walks.
He explored the city mostly via its sidewalks and trails and used the District's boundary stones -- the markers of the original border of the city -- as a guide. Some days he walked five miles. Other days, he walked 35 miles.
The result is a rich map of D.C. and its surrounding neighborhoods, filled with landmarks such as the U.S. Capitol and Ben's Chili Bowl, pop culture references (the reflecting pool scene from "Forrest Gump" makes a cameo), political satire (helicopters dropping off McDonald's food to the White House), what he calls "contradictions" (a gun shop and a weed shop blocks from each other) and some of Fuller's experiences.
While exploring the Trinidad neighborhood, for instance, Fuller came across a shrine for a deceased person and became curious about the practice. His research led him to photographer Lloyd Wolf, who has captured various shrines across the District over the years. Fuller met the friends of the deceased and incorporated the shrine along with six others into the map.
In the process of making the map, Fuller, 44, said he learned of the region's rich history, culture and lexicon, such as the term "Chocolate City." He said the city stands out from anywhere else he's been.
"It's like the global Hollywood of bureaucracy and organizations. Things that happen [in D.C.] could potentially affect so much, so much more than an ordinary place. There's a sort of mysticism to the place, that makes it very different to a lot of places I've been," Fuller said.
During his time here, Fuller enjoyed the buzz of D.C.'s party areas: U Street, H Street and Adams Morgan. He visited the Postal Museum and got creeped out at Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's house in Dupont Circle. His favorite activities in the District included "plane spotting" by Reagan National Airport, napping under a tree at the National Mall and enjoying D.C.'s "stunning" greenery.
Fuller's approach to mapping is informed by his fascination with exploration and geography.
"We live in an age of curated certainty. Where devices reduce living landscapes to predictable routes and star destinations," Fuller wrote in an email. "To walk without guidance, to feel the surroundings, and to talk with those who call it home -- these acts help me return wayfinding to what it's always been -- a connection between people and place."
The Washington Post spoke to Fuller about his latest work.
What made you decide on Washington, D.C., as your next "map of the mind?"
It's the capital of the United States. I've always looked at America with absolute awe and bewilderment. I've always as an artist wanted to come and understand more about the United States. Drawing the capital was just a given.
It's where so much has happened and so much continues to happen, and then it affects everybody around the world. It's like a microcosm into the whole of the U.S. Everything that's happened within its complicated history, you can find in the D.C. region. And I think that's very often overseen. People just think, "Oh, the Smithsonian" but actually once you start walking around all the neighborhoods, [there's] this huge layered history going on and it belongs to all sorts of people.
What did you learn about D.C.? How does it stand out from the other cities you've mapped?
It definitely took me on a journey. I learned so much and that made D.C. truly and utterly unique because it was juxtaposed with being a power hub.
I was just an observer and a visitor, but I got this feeling that it's a very proud and resilient place. And if we sort of talk about a sense of community, then I would describe it as robust.
There's a bit of rebellion that's always there. You can feel it in D.C. And I'm not talking about the guy on the street or the woman on the streets. I'm talking about everybody. Everyone's got a bit of a swagger. There's a bit of hustle going on, right? And that could be from the lawyer to the guy or the lady making sandwiches.
Amongst all these lovely houses and neighborhoods are really serious innovations and organizations and federal agencies and all these incredible workers and all this hive of activity going on and you wouldn't even know, you could just drive past it. I find that very interesting, as an artist. It has such a small population and it doesn’t have all of these skyscrapers so it’s very understated, but yet so powerful and so important.
What do you hope viewers take from your artwork?
Honestly, it’s just my contribution to the capital’s story. I genuinely hope that it adds another layer. As a visitor and as an artist, I’m just trying to tell a story. I hope that the people that see the artwork can connect with what I’ve drawn, and it helps them connect with their place and their home and it adds another layer of identity to the region and sparks conversation for people.
I think that people can look at it and add their own memories, take their memories away, maybe scratch their head and not understand what’s been drawn. You can tire of a place quickly, but I get a feeling that D.C. is one of those places, as soon as you leave, you miss it.