A dérive is a type of walk that was envisioned by the Society of the Spectacle. The goal is to not let anything influence or determine your experience – to walk without an agenda and follow your curiosity. The idea is that city design, architecture, signs and other visual markers are always trying to control where we go, how we get there, and what we are supposed to notice along the way. The idea of the dérive is to take back that control and not be influenced by external markers, but also be consciously aware of them.
If you choose this for your project, there are a few guidelines you will need to follow:
- Set aside about a 45 min to 1 hour to walk uninterrupted.
- Turn off all phone notifications. Stay off social media. This includes not listening to music or having your headphones on while you walk. Essentially, leave your phone at home or at least keep in in your pocket on airplane mode!
- Don’t think about where to go. The idea is to have no agenda or destination in mind and to simply explore. From the moment you start, try to follow your curiosity and go where it takes you.
- Be observant – do you notice certain things you encounter pushing or pulling you towards a certain path? What do you decide to do? Why?
In order to get credit, you will need to turn in two items:
- A map of your walk from memory. This does not need to be an accurate map. Simply make a drawing that traces your steps, where you went and anything that caught your attention along the way.
Try to stay away from including traditional map items like road names or building names, etc. Instead, create a map that includes things you discovered or noticed. Maybe there was a cool insect you saw or there was a building or space you never noticed before. Use those things as markers on your map. Remember – you will never be graded on artistic skill.
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