space place and psychogeography at free and open source for geospatial conference, 2013 Notingham

1. Space, Place &
Psychogeography
Foss4g13
Chippy – Tim Waters - @tim_waters

2. Other Projects:
OSM / HOT
MapWarper.net
OpenHistoricalMaps
Topomancy LLC
Open Gazetteers

3. No time for questions
I promise to finish early if
you promise to go outside.
Post stuff to #foss4g13

4. Psychogeography

5. Debord / Situationism
the Situationists found
contemporary
architecture both physically
and ideologically restrictive,
combining with outside
cultural influence, effectively
creating an undertow, and
forcing oneself into a certain
system of interaction with
their environment.

6. Debord

7. Tortoise

8. Chambert de Lauwe - All trips made in one year by a student living the​​
sixteenth District – 1950s

9. The Theory of the Derive
One of the basic situationist practices is the dérive [literally: “drifting”],
a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances. Dérives involve playful-
constructive behaviour and awareness of psychogeographical effects, and are
thus quite different from the classic notions of journey or stroll.
In a dérive one or more persons during a certain period drop
their relations, their work and leisure activities, and all their
other usual motives for movement and action, and let
themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the
encounters they find there. Chance is a less important factor in this
activity than one might think: from a dérive point of view cities have
psychogeographical contours, with constant currents, fixed
points and vortexes that strongly discourage entry into or exit
from certain zones.

11. We define ourselves by our surroundings and our situations.
If you are brought up in a neighbourhood that resembles a rat trap, pretty soon you are going to
come to the conclusion that you are probably a rat. If on the other hand you have got to the
tool of psychogeography — or poetry, then you can look at the ordinary world
around you with the eye of a poet. If you have that kind of insight into the tawdry and
debased streets in which most of us spend our lives, then instead of walking down a rat trap
you are walking through cataclysmic history from your personal memories to the local legends
then the rat trap becomes a fable, a mythological landscape. And just as living in rat trap will
give you the impression you live in a rat trap, then l suspect that living in a mythological
landscape might after a while give you the subliminal impression that you are at least a
mythological figure. A heroic character in your own narrative

12. Denis Wood
Two types of psychogeography
Debordian / Situationist
Lynchian

13. Situationist approach for cities
Urban Planning
Current approach
One around play

14. Why?

15. Because the cities and towns where we live are increasingly
militarised and made banal. Because there is a conspiracy of
boredom against the city. Because the Great God Pan, the rural
deity, is long dead and we need different myths now. Because the
city is chopped and parcelled up like a rack of commodities.
Because the city is streamlined for ignorance and meaninglessness.
Because hidden inside the functionality of the city are the secrets of
texture and grain. Because the lost or stolen symbols of the city are
still available for stealing back. Because the self-possession of the
non-rich has always been a work of imagination. Because of the
erosion of public space. Because no matter how much is planned
and how much is subject to opportunism, this is only goes to
producing accidental playgrounds and launch pads and caves.
Because of violence, property, loss and neglect – of people and space.
Because we are mobile. For the sake of remnants and traces. To be
prepared and spontaneous. Because we are prepared to be
spontaneous. Because we are poised.
http://www.triarchypress.com/pages/Sardine-Street-Box-of-Tricks.htm

16. Examples

18. Urban exploration?

19. Free Running
?

20. The aim of the LunchTime Dérive was to study how, by following a simple instruction,
a group of workers could re-experience the town during their Lunch Break. The daily
hunt for a prawn sandwich or Chicken Tikka Marsala Ready Meal will be replaced
with a drift motivated by following a basic algorithm Left left right

21. http://mappingweirdstuff.wordpress.com/
Mapping Weird Stuff is a course offered as part of the OWjL
summer camp at Ohio Wesleyan.

23. Biomapping
Christian Nold

24. Unconscious reflection

27. Make Playce – Leeds
http://my.parkingday.org
Parking Day

28. Beating the bounds
Bring booze!

32. Power of Maps

33. Classic Examples
ordnance survey
aldermaston
in Brazil, Google said it “would tweak the site’s [Google
Maps'] design, namely its text size and district labeling to
show favela names only after users zoomed in on those
areas.”
Map Kibera
dwelling and the act of mapping dwelling and equalyl the
act of not mapping dwelling and instead labelling them
vacant land is therefore all about power

34. maps dont merely represent space, they shape
arguments, they set discursive boundaries and identify
objects to be considered.
when individuals make their own maps, they offer and
expression of what they consider important what they
consider to be of interest and for which they are willing
to fight for.
challenge to presumed neutrality of the mapmaker.

35. Maps are made by
people.
Reflect our interests.

36. OSM mapping as
a form of “derive”

37. OSM – have own schema
for exploration
Keep Right
(or keep left)

38. Exploration.
Discovery.
Not regular / allowed
activity.

39. Maps are made by
people.
Reflect our interests.

40. Gender
Baby Hatch
Pub
Creche
Childcare

41. wedothisbecauseweforget

45. Useful for blind
people? Navigation
aids

46. What’s there?

47. Permanent?

48. Noise
Litter
Childrens play
equipment

49. Denis Wood
geography of the children of detroit.
mapped automobiles, trucks, dogs, cats, green shubs
and trees, dead shrubs and trees, bicyles, scooters,
rubbish, trash, broken paper, litter cans.
Bloomfield: grass, green shrubs and trees, bikes and
toys. yards have ponds, toys, gym sets, play area.
Mack ave - there are more dead shrubs than living,
yards are fenced, no play areas, no bikes.

51. Trees
Last longer
than pubs

52. Bins
Litter
Rubbish collection routes
Landfills
waste trade - international
recycling & sustainability

53. The end of the talking bit

54. Go Outside
Afterwards, tweet to #foss4g
Meet up later and chat
1. Get into a group of MAX 3 people
2. Pick up a task – one per group

55. ● Map textures
● Follow someone for 2 mins & repeat
● Map shadows
● Follow sounds
● Turn Left, Turn Right
● Follow your nose
● Find objects
● Close your eyes - let someone guide.
● Walk as if you had a tortoise.
----
Walk with me on a sound walk (max 8)