psychogeography  | social fiction

 

GENERATIVE PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY is an open source project & we encourage anybody, everywhere, to try it for themselves.

"The Manual"

This is not a list of definitions on how to organise a generative psychogeographical session. We encourage everybody willing to organise their own to find a method that they find the most suiting.

To help you on you're way here is a description on how we have done it in the past.

 

1) Set a date, state the meeting point. Invite your friends, make flyers, send e-mails etc. Spice up the session by coming up with a good reason to do it on that specific place & time.

2) Write down several algorithms in advance. Do this on different pieces of paper so you can hand them out to the participants. Perhaps this form can help you.

3) Think about ways to document the trip afterwards (if you want to) & take your measures accordingly beforehand.

4) The day has come, some people actually showed up.
If they don't know what they are expected to do; inform them.
It is likely that they will find out soon that strolling around on an algorithm is not always a clear cut case of taking turns. There are many situations possible in which the formula doesn't offer a obvious way out. Because we think that the simplicity of the algorithm is one of it's main point of attraction we have refused to add any extra rules which could regulate these cases. Therefore we have always told people to keep going by modifying the algorithm themselves, but trying to be loyal to the nature of the formula as much as possible. It is true that these subjective interventions damage the principle of an objective route description like this. Until a better solution presents itself we will settle with this compromise.

4) Name a time & place for the participants to regroup.

5) Start strolling.

6) Regroup at the designated time/place.

7) Discuss the results. What did you encounter, how did the algorithm behave, did you experience the city otherwise, etc.

8) Drink alcoholic beverages (if you are not an straight edger) & have fun.  

9) Write a report, make a graph which shows the patterns of the different routes, document it, be creative.

10) Sent your documentation to social fiction: psychogeography@socialfiction.org