Become dérivers

“the dérive [literally: “drifting”], a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances. Dérives involve playful-constructive behavior and awareness of psychogeographical effects, and are thus quite different from the classic notions of journey or stroll.”

Internationale Situationniste #2, (1958), Theory of the Dérive [Internet] Available from: < http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/display_printable/314> [Accessed 3 February 2009]

“psychogeography [:] The study of the precise effects of geographical setting, consciously managed or not, acting directly on the mood and behaviour of the individual.”

Internationale Situationniste #1, (1958), Definitions [Internet] Available from: < http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/display_printable/7> [Accessed 3 February 2009]

Become dérivers.

Form groups of two to three people to conduct psychogeographical observation and collection of data (images, texts, objects, etc). Conduct your dérive over deliberately pre-arranged periods of a few hours at a time. Avoid the later hours of the night. Agree a meeting place as a point of departure. Modes of movement other than walking may be employed but only as long as a principle of random direction remains within your control (getting on or off buses spontaneously, riding a bicycle, etc.).

The aim is to see the city anew, and to (re-) discover locations to which you might address the creation of new work as form of intervention. We hope this will lead to collective research into the city of York, as we will be able to cross-refer the observations and data emerging from differing dérive methods. You could consider letting a dog take you for a walk, walking blindfolded with a friend, use a map of another place to try to get around, toss coins, follow smells or sounds at whim, turning first left, second right and second right again repeatedly etc….

Consider ways of documenting/mapping each dérive before and while walking. Marking a route with a piece of string, photographing and sequencing images, textually or graphically representing your dérive are initial ideas. Record material for these documents/maps for presentation next week and upload on this blog now.