Thursday 1 July 2010

A Psychogeographical Guide to Hunstanton Promenade


Guide Psychogeographique De Hunstanton

“Progress is nothing other than breaking through a field where chance holds sway by creating new conditions more favorable to our purposes.” Guy Debord

This map is a Situationist-style map based on Guy Debord's 'Guide Psychogeographique De Paris'.

Guide Psychogeographique De Paris

The images highlight various ambiances on the promenade at Hunstanton, Norfolk. The curved line challenges the linear form of the promenade, and suggests an alternative way of walking along the prom (as does starting at the end). The phenomenon represented here do not appear in the order they do in actual space (also, some are transient, some invented e.g. there is no troll). The red of Debord's map has been replaced with blue to reflect the sea. The cream colour, which actually appears in many of the reproduced images of Debord's map, is meant to represent the sand. The text includes: subjective comments, rock music lyrics, popular phrases, a reference to a fairy tale, etc. In this Guide Psychogeographique I have used full colour on the map section, unlike my previous one of the University of Leeds campus, which can be viewed here:

Guide Psychogeographique De University of Leeds

I have noticed an evolution between my first Guide Psychogeographique and the second one and I am interested in seeing how these maps change over time and how far they become removed from the original map of Debord's.

Please note: I would like to give my thanks to those at www.geograph.org.uk who let me use their images. Also, to James Cridland at http://james.cridland.net Much appreciated!

Also, please see my blogs on A Schizocartography of Hunstanton

Bibliography:
Debord, Guy. 1996. 'Theory of the Dérive', Theory of the Dérive and Other Situationist Writings on the City, ed. by Libero Andreotti and Xavier Costa (Barcelona: Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona). pp. 22-27.

1 comment:

  1. I've decided that i must visit Hunstanton.

    The name brings to mind a woman I used to work with, Janet Allen and her husband John.

    Yes. Janet & John.

    She would tell me on a Monday about weekends spent in their static caravan somewhere very close to Hunstanton.

    And now your guide.

    Paul Conneally

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