A Circular Walk and Psychogeography

I looked into the principle ideas behind psychogeography for my research paper and have found it really interesting to find an actual name for something I knew I was engaging with in my work but also on a personal level.

As my daughter has got older I often look back on all the same walks we did, literally hundreds of time. I tell her about these and she laughs ("did we really go to the same playground that many times?"). Myself and my friends with babies would often grumble at the sheer boredom of the places we had to visit time and time again.

I love the break from the school run during the holidays. Not having to walk or cycle down the same street, cross the same road, see the same shop fronts, lamp posts etc etc. I'm lucky to live in a beautiful city but despite this, it can be mundane re visiting the same places. But won't these mundane, repeated journeys one day feel a nostalgic loss? I won't be taking my daughter to school in a few years and what will happen to those journeys then? I suppose they just become part of a chain of experiences held within us and looked back on.

Conversely, there are places over the years myself and close family members have had to visit repeatedly, but instead of being held as memories of affection, they are actually haunting and destabilising.

I went on a circular walk near my house the other day and just tried to slowly, without too much thought, notice the features of the terrain. I had been writing the 2nd draft of my dissertation and referencing the importance of place to Ithell Colquhoun, the artist I'm writing about. It was good to get out and refresh my head a bit.

To what extent does this familiar walk impact my emotions and behaviour?

This view is always one that causes you to pause for a moment.

How many people tread these paths everyday? How do we experience places we know well and have seen countless times? How can we experience them in new ways?

My understanding of psychogeography is that it invites us to 'see anew' things that are familiar and part of our every day. I guess these routines and rituals are what keep us on the ground literally and emotionally. The historical/political backdrop of the concept is revealing. A world still repairing from a world war and individuals seeking familiarity and comfort. I know I want to use this imagery in some way in my work.

October 31st 2023:

I'm beginning to gather some photos of walks and visits and am planning some experiments with transferring them onto watercolour paper, onto a background of marks and masking - images representing repeated actions and encounters.

A walk that is circular and holds significance for me is the Hall Walk in Cornwall.

Another photo I want to use. This walk is one we have repeated many times and at times, can feel repetitive.

Conscious not to be too sentimental! Always trying to be aware of, and maintain a balance...