Machu Pichu Trail Map

Our client and her fiancee decided to hike the Machu Pichu Trail in Peru, South America and took a lot of photos along the way. What we did to frame this event was to mount the map on black foam board first and glue it onto a black suede matboard. Then, we took her photos and arranged them in order of their ascent and arrayed them around the perimeter of the map. We mounted them onto black, acid-free board and then put foam board risers underneath each, recessed so as not to be visible. The photos were mounted on progresively higher platforms as they ascended the trail. In this way, the photos appear to float over the map.We also made sure that the glass did not make contact with the photos, since glass is a semi-conductor and can get moisture condensation on the inside face over time with large changes in temperature inside the framing package (e.g. if the art is hung facing a lot of sunlight).

We used a shadowbox-depth, cherry-finished frame by Nurre-Caxton and used Conservation Clear glass to keep it all from fading. Mat board is Carbon Black Suede by Crescent.The inside, vertical face of the frame has box strips covered with the black suede to hold the glass in place and provide a deep spacer for the platformed art.

One really nice thing about this technique is that it can be used to create large, photo montages, with photos overlapping each other at different levels. It doesn't need to look like a boring grid layout.

What other sorts of maps could you frame like this? Here's a list of suggestions:

---A ski resort map, with all the runs you've taken and photos to go along with each.
---A map showing how you biked across part of Europe and took photos along the way.
---You are in the military and you can show, on a world map, your many deployments with photos of each place you served.
---You honeymooned somewhere overseas and you did a whirlwind tour of countries, with photos of each.
---You are a pilot or a frequent flier and you want to show all the destinations you've flown to.
---You are a fishing enthusiast and you want to show all the waters you've fished and some of the fish caught in each place.
--You packed down into The Grand Canyon and you want to show the trails you took and photos along the way.
---You are a train enthusiast and you want to show all the routes you have ridden, with photos of all or many.
---You drove the old Route 66 from Chicago to LA and you want to show the places you went on a map
and in photos.
--You are a touring musician and you want to show and trace your various tours over the last few years or, maybe, the last decade.
---You hiked the Appalachian Trail or A pilgrim's trail in Spain and want a record of it with a map and photos.

While it is best to live in the here and now, the pull of nostalgia for the past is mighty powerful. This is one way to indulge yourself in that little bit of daydreaming.

Framing project designed and executed by Brian Flax, CPF.