Photographic Essay

U1728527

CC5705
Contents
Introduction 3
Psychogeography 3
A Daily Intrusion 5
The Lonely Chair 6
Reflections 7
Barriers 8
The Noose 9
Conclusion 10
Bibliography 11

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Introduction
The aim of this photographic essay is twofold. Firstly, it aims to offer an understanding of what

psychogeography is, explore the concepts of flânerie and Debord’s theory of the dérive, and explain

the reasoning behind choosing the technique I did for my own psychogeographical experience.

Secondly, it will show five photographs from across my walk, in order to explain how these locations

made me feel while I was there. It will also discuss the composition and editing processes of some of

these images to better understand why certain decisions were made in order to portray a certain

message and tell a clear story.

Psychogeography
Psychogeography as a term can be easy to understand, but difficult to define. Guy Debord was a

member of a group called ‘The Situationist International’, who published journals, which Debord had

a hand in editing. (Ford, 2005, p53). Within the journal, Debord defines psychogeography as “the

study of the specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the

emotions and behaviour of individuals” (Cited in Coverley, 2006, p93), whilst maintaining that the

term has a “pleasing vagueness” (Cited in Coverley, 2006, p89). This definition and its vagueness

allow us to apply our own interpretations to the subject and conduct research into the subject in an

individualised manner.

The first of the psychogeographical approaches is called a ‘Dérive’, which is a strategy written about

by Debord in his, ‘Theory of the Derive’ (Cited in Knabb, 2006). While the term ‘Dérive’ had been

used previously by pre-situationist groups, Debord, along with the Situationist International

movement, attempted to define it from 1957 until 1968 (Coverley, 2006, p82). Debord defines the

Dérive as a drift through a geographical location, being “drawn by the attractions of the terrain and

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the encounters they find there”, while letting go of all “usual motives for movement and action”, such

as “relations, their work and leisure activities” (Debord cited in Knabb, 2006, p62).

The second approach is the concept of flânerie, which is carried out by a flâneur. A flâneur is

described as “the man of the public who knows himself to be of the public”, who “treats the objects

of the city with a somewhat detached attitude” (Tester, 1994, p6). This “detached attitude” can be

interpreted as a method of observation, observing the environment and the way people interact

with it, perhaps as an attempt to distance oneself from the societal implications of being a part of

the machine that is a city. The concept of flânerie differs from a dérive in terms of participation

versus observation, however, both methods are seen as good forms of analytical psychogeography.

For my psychogeographical experience, I decided to use the dérive. I chose this because I had a start

location in mind and wanted to see where my feet would take me. I don’t know my local area

particularly well and thought this could be a positive experience close to my home. My reasoning for

this was that I live with depression which can be amplified or sedated somewhat when faced with

different environments and the feel of certain places. This gave me the opportunity to use the dérive

as an opportunity to observe my surroundings and actively take note of how they make me feel,

through the medium of photography.

It is easy to relate the theory of the dérive to this, as the theory is that it allows people to release

themselves from their regular motivations (Debord cited in Knabb, 2006, p62) and be driven

through the urban environment by their emotions. As soon as I knew I would be analysing the

connections between places and the way they make me feel, I knew that I wanted to start my dérive

at a particular place, as it has a constant feeling of unease for me.

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A Daily Intrusion

Image 1: Spikes, Shadwell (Daniel Davies, November 2019)

I do not feel that I have a particularly strong emotional connection with this location, however, I

pass this place every day and it always makes me feel the same way. As I pass under these spikes, I

feel that they are an unwelcome intrusion into my life. This may be due to my height, as they pass

mere centimetres above my head. They feel oppressive and aggressive, due to their shape. In the

image, I used the row of spikes as a leading line, drawing the viewer’s eye towards my destination

(Diprose and Robins, 2012, p303), a train station at the end of the street. I left the station

intentionally out of focus, as when I pass these, my focus is on the spikes, not where I’m going to.

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The Lonely Chair

Image 2: Chair, Wapping (Daniel Davies, November 2019)

From the spikes towards the train station, I turned back on myself to head away from the station,

past my own home and (presumably) towards the river Thames. Down a footpath towards a public

park, I found a chair abandoned behind a ventilation shaft. It is broken, unwanted, and discarded

among golden leaves, which the trees themselves have cast off. Though the chair is an inanimate

object, I found it to be a relatable character. Many people within cities can feel very isolated due to

the difference between public and private interactions (Krupat, 1985, pp128-129). This mirrors the

chair’s story, as it was once a vital part of a person’s home, presumably regularly used, but now lies

alone, passed by and ignored by hundreds of strangers each day. I framed the image using the rule

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of thirds, to give the context of the chair’s location (Diprose and Robins, 2012, p32) and not just the

subject itself.

Reflections

Image 3: Canal, Wapping (Daniel Davies, November 2019)

I followed the path through the park and was drawn towards this canal. I have always been

interested in bodies of water, as I find reflections serene and relaxing. However, instead of being to

observe myself here, I found myself to be being watched by a face on the canal’s surface. This filled

me with a sense of unease, which I think translates into the still image particularly well. I find this

particularly relevant for me, as I often feel a sense of being watched and judged, which this image

makes feel very real with a literal depiction of these feelings. Here, it felt like my surroundings were

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performing my feelings and fears to me. From here I decided I wanted to head towards the river,

where the rougher water would have less chance of having reflections.

Barriers

Image 4: Riverside Spikes, Wapping (Daniel Davies, November 2019)

As I carried on south towards the river, I found a signpost pointing me down an alleyway to the

riverside. As I exited the dark alley, I was immediately startled by a large splash caused by the tide.

It felt like the river was trying to turn me away, like I was not welcome there. I decided to wait for

another large splash to take my photograph, as I felt it would better capture my feelings within the

first moments of arriving there. I framed the photo in this manner in order to capture the manmade

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barrier on the right and the natural barrier on the left. I feel this gives the image a sense of

entrapment.

The Noose

Image 5: Noose, Wapping (Daniel Davies, November 2019)

Further down the river, I found a noose hanging from a structure over the river. I’m unsure as to why

this is here, as it is a very morbid image. Seeing this here definitely affected my mood, so I decided

to take a few moments to gather my thoughts and reflect. Though I carried on walking for a short

while after this location, I had decided that this location, much like what the noose itself symbolises

for life, would be the end of my dérive. Using Adobe Photoshop, I darkened the colour of the river

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significantly, as in the original it looked very bright and reflective, in order to visually show the

viewer exactly how being in this location made me feel.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it is apparent that physical locations can have very strong effects on the people who

inhabit and traverse them. Using Debord’s ‘theory of the dérive’, it is possible to explore an

environment independent of agency, by simply following where your body and mind encourage you

to travel. Though I did not use flânerie as a technique, I am aware that it could have entirely changed

my perception and interpretation of the journey.

Furthermore, the dérive that I undertook was an edifying experience in the way that it allowed me

to observe my surroundings and understand why certain aspects might make me feel a certain way,

as opposed to allowing my surroundings to simply pass me by without scrutinisation.

Finally, the photographs that I took and the ways that I framed shots, used focus, and edited images

allowed me to portray my own interpretations and feelings of a situation and location to the viewer.

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Bibliography

Coverley, M. (2006). Psychogeography. Harpenden: Pocket Essentials.

Diprose, G. and Robins, J. (2012). Photography: The New Basics. London: Thames & Hudson.

Ford, S. (2005). The Situationist International A User's Guide. London: Black dog.

Knabb, K. ed., (2006). Situationist international anthology. 2nd ed. Berkeley: Bureau of Public
Secrets, pp.62-66.

Krupat, E. (1985). People in Cities. Cambridge: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge.

Tester, K. ed., (1994). The Flâneur. London: Routledge.

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