Not All Those Who Wander

The concept of psychogeography represents a fascinating deviation from our cultural obsession with efficiency.  Defined as "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals", psychogeography focuses on the effect weather, social interactions and the physical environment have on our mental and emotional selves (Debord, 1955).    

How do certain places, landmarks, or geographical locations make us feel?

The history behind psychogeography and its conception as a form of staunchly anti-capitalist "playing" via the Situationists of the '50's is interesting due to the fact that many of our societal expectations around productivity have not changed (Ridgway, 2014).  We still follow the same routines, day after day - we wake up, we make our living, we run errands, and then we go home.  We rarely deviate from the norm, especially when it comes to where we choose to spend our time. 

What's interesting about psychogeography is that it encourages individuals to engage in more than just exploring, or "following our noses", as this will only lead us to places we find the most beautiful (i.e. beaches, parks, etc.).  One method of breaking out of our cyclical habits is called algorithmic walking, and involves designing a pre-determined pattern of walking (i.e two blocks up, then a right and then a left) to discover new and interesting places within an urban setting, ones that we may not have explored before without prompting.  

What I find most intriguing about this idea is its attitude of encouraging one to essentially "get lost".  To find yourself in a place you don't know, with people you don't know.  To embrace the uncomfortable, the strange, the unfamiliar.  This is not a natural inclination for humans, I don't think - we like comfort and stability.  We prefer to stay in our relative safety and ease.  But what if we temporarily ignored what we perceive as the demands of society and learned to trust ourselves?  What if we set out, every once in a while, to simply go, with no destination?  The idea is foreign, but I feel as though our culture (especially the lower and middle classes) could benefit from the opportunity to simply explore, to get lost, and to feel spontaneous.  The more I think about the concept of psychogeography, the more I'm reminded of Ken Robinson's, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" TED Talk.  

Where did our country's creativity go?  When did the destination (geographical or otherwise) become more important than the journey, or the emotions we experience along the way?  

As Maisie Ridgway (2014) argues in her article, "An Introduction to Psychogeography":

"In an increasingly apathetic society there is a need to revive the joys of discovery, play and self-empowerment.  So have a ramble, take a walk, and get lost.  The world's your oyster, or whatever shellfish you want to be."  

References: 

Debord, G.E. (1955) Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography. Les Levres Nues, 6.  

            Retrieved April 18, 2018 from http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/display/2

Ridgeway, M. (2014). An Introduction to Psychogeography.  Retrieved April 18, 2018 

           from http://www.thedoublenegative.co.uk/2014/12/an-introduction-to-psychogeography/