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Psychogeography

Iain Sinclair is the king of psychogeography: it was reading his stuff that got me into it, but I became a psychogeographer long before I'd heard of such a thing, when I took to wandering the streets of London to be on my own, becoming a child flaneur. Psychogeography is a vaguely defined term, but roughly it means finding meanings in places - especially urban places. Will Self and J G Ballard are also said to be psychogeographical writers. Titus Groan (which I read recently) could also be described as psychogeographical, because it's as much about a place as it is about people - but as it's fiction perhaps that doesn't count. Any writer who includes graphic descriptions of places in their work could be called psychogeographical - Keith Waterhouse loved to do that.

I've looked at the website of the Psychogeographical Society a couple of times, but wasn't impressed with what I found.
 
I think there should be an urbanz PG day trip, have a mooch around interesting sites (I reckon the Olympic sites will be of interest). Isle of Dogs / Canary Wharf is intriguing too. Where else?
 
I've been looking for somewhere to put this. Psychogeographer Pigeon :D

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I understand that Will Self describes himself as a connoisseur of those independent pound shop type shops.

A connoisseur.
 
Psychcogeog is identifying where the past leaks into the present, or where the future isnt completely encroaching on the past.
best psychogeog sites in the past were round kings X gas holders, battle bridge road; canal from east to west before camden turned into planet beard; down from angel to smithfields and round the side streets, 24 hour cafe, church and little pubs. there's more tho i cant remember. i used to do 'guided psychogeog' walks a bit ago. got about 12 of them mapped and notated. it isnt just going for a walk, you get to understand the history, why things were what they were, what is going to happen in future urban 'development' etc. try the roman wall walk from tower bridge round the city then think about what roman life was like where you are standing.
 
I live on top of a hill that's riddled with old coal mines, right on the border between Bristol (city and county) and Gloucestershire (now S.Glos.), as well as at the historical border between Wessex and Mercia (aka The Avon). Can't go for so much as a stroll round here without bumping into a load of psychogeography :D
 
There's a cracking theory that Beijing is laid out as the dismembered body of the demigod Nezha, brains one place, genitals another etc. That ought to make a good starting point for a vague someday too.
 
Crispy said:
View attachment 116319

hmmmmmm. he's just the sort to post on here too
Click to expand...
John Rogers is fab - I've seen him speak locally, and really enjoy his writing, unlike Iain Sinclair who I cannot stand. He is now moaning on that there is nothing left for him to write about in London - well maybe if he could be arsed to include women as people worthy of note, he might still be able to find something. Hearing Sinclair speak is to hear the living appropriation of space by a person of privilege personified. Wanky fucker.
 
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