drifting
“Men can see nothing around them that is not their own image; everything speaks to them of themselves. Their very landscape is alive.� (Marx)
I like this quote. Found it when I was searching the idea of "drifting" or derive in regards to the Situationists. Else/Where mentioned the Situationists' drifting being this premire sort of urban mapping process. Drifting, as I understand it, is a process of moving through the city with no intent or place to go, and letting oneself get carried by circumstance, choice, and wimsy. It can be done in a group or individually. It is meant to be playful.
If one were to map a "drift" through a city, wouldn't it in someways be more true to the form of the city? There is no pretention of objectivity in it. In Else/Where they mention how maps are often made to be so legible and clear, but that the reality of the city is generally very illegible. confusing. over stimulating. multi-facited. fractionalized. full of choices at every moment. kind of like life. I am not saying that maps are lies, just overly abstract sometimes. but they do help us get to the essence of a situation or a place. I look forward to mapping "my city" and "my landscape". Pairing down my memories and significant moments into symbols that can signify why a certain place is of importance to me. In line with what Marx said, I certainly have constructed an image of my landscape through my own experiences.