The Psychogeography Issues - Essay Example

Psychogeography Name Institution Psychogeography The two extracts demonstrate the psychogeography through related and diverse perspectives. The two narrators give an account about their geographical experiences in their different places. Psychogeography refers to the approach that centralizes on the urban environments in geography. The concept involves playfulness on the laws and impact of the geographical setting on individuals, specifically on emotions and behaviour (Guy 1981; 5). The narrators in the two extracts seem to have engaged in travelling to an urban setting to make fun rather than to conduct a serious business. Notably, the descriptions they give in their narratives confirm the notion of psychogeography. Alan Bennett’s A Life like other Peoples describes a narrative about a middle aged man who visits a canal where his grandfather drowned in the past. The man narrates his encounters and describes the setting he transverses until when he finds the place. On the other hand, Matt Condon’s Brisbane revolves around the story of a middle aged man who visits a place where he believes serves as his ancestral home. The place, Brisbane has a historical site where an explorer used it as a mark when he proclaimed that the place should become a settlement site. The place containing obelisk marks the birthplace of the narrator. The two extracts demonstrate the concept of psychogeography through the following aspects: politics and criticism of the status quo, walking, marginalized urban experiences and space, the re-enchantment of the cityscape, spatial history and the ‘the past’, trauma, nostalgia and cultural and social critique. First the politics and criticism of the status quo have appeared in the two extracts. The narrators have destabilized the earlier records about the places they are describing. From the beginning of their presentation to the end, the writers recount remarkable changes that places have gone through since their last visits. Indicatively, they seem to indicate that the changes that take place in an urban setting are massive and the past history cannot give a precise description of a place. The writers, therefore, suggests that we cannot rely on the past documentation to give precise details about a particular environment because the place is under constant transition to fit to the changing needs in the society. Arguably, in psychogeography, the destabilisation of status quo forms a crucial point (Self 2013; 23). The emerging writers give a diverse perspective about an urban setting while at the same time changing the centre of attention in the society. The new writer creates his own worldview and displaces the old system that gave what currently appears as a distorted historical account. For example, Matt questions the authenticity of the past writers when he asks why an historian wrote that the discovery of Brisbane was at Milton and yet he claims that the obelisk is at North Quay. Consequently, Matt destabilises the status quo and shows that previous records are accurate. Similarly, Bennett says that the place that was originally the boathouse had become a copse. Second, the two extracts presents the concept of walking as discussed in psychogeography. The narrators of the two accounts have stated that they walked to the site where they wrote about. Walking seems to create a sense of connection between the environment and the visitor. The narrators are able to account for everything that they see as they walk to the precise site they targeted. For example, Bennett visits the university boathouse to confirm the site where his grandfather died. He walks on foot and marvels at the changes that have taken place at the institution of learning. New structures have replaced the old ones while there are also some negligence which has left the place untidy. Matta also visits the place he has longed for and he treks to the site. He goes to Brisbane River where he believes that there is a granite obelisk where his mentor John Oxley stood and proclaimed a settlement of the place. He walks from the start of his visit of the town and along the way observes strange things that he records. Seemingly, walking acts as a metaphor that indicates that it equates with writing. The more the person walks, the more he writes. Therefore, walking resonates with exploration and documentation. The writer documents what he observes while walking. Third, there is marginal/marginalised urban experiences and space that the two writers elaborate. They have described the settings as unique places from the rest of the environment. The writers give an image of strangeness that manifests in the place where changes are paramount. The descriptions, well described by Merlin (2010; 13) that psychogeography and its practitioners offer an account of ironic humour with jargon-heavy proclamations. The two writers use fun to describe the places making it appealing to the readers. The urban centres appear as isolations from the rest of the society. The manner at which the writers describe the place as if they have never visited the place shows the marginalisation. They insinuate that an attempt to give the urban centres precise description is fluid because they change their appearance often. Fourth, the writings reflect the re-enchantment of the cityscape associated with psychogeography. The two writers become marvelled by the strange appearance of the cities they visit and with words, they illustrate the power of change as Merlin (2010; 13) says, “This sense of life as essentially mysterious and unknowable immediately lends itself to gothic representations of the city.” The mystery of the town signifies the mystery of life. The writers attempt to understand life but even as they approach the discovery, it shifts to uncertainty leading them to utter shock marked by many descriptions much to what Sinclair as cited in Merlin (2012; 211) says, “Travelling through a landscape so often characterised by invisible institutions, the motif of Sinclair’s walk is the asylum and their forgotten inhabitants, a population which Sinclair regards as somehow emblematic of this suburban interzone.” Fifth, the extracts provide a spatial history of the settings (Debord 1981; 21). The writers give a vivid history of the past in an attempt to reconnect with the present. Each writer relates what he saw or heard in the past versus what actually appears during the observation. Bennett gives the background information about the University that he did not know that it had a boathouse until when he visits the site and confirms that it used to function until it because a copse. The writer also laments that the city and the university have neglected several sites and made the place look untidy. The two extracts agrees to what Doreen (1995; 183) says that people like to correlate with the past. On the other hand, Matt narrates the history of Brisbane city, which he claims has undergone many changes as compared to what historians have documented. He refers to John Orlex that he claims has written about the place and shows a contrast between his observations and what is in the book. He questions the authenticity of the historian after reading that the historian made some errors in his work. For example, he claims that the obelisk site is in Brisbane’s Milton and North quay. The contradiction shows the need for research and documentation in order to ascertain some statements written by early scholars. At the same time, the two writers also exhibit the concept of trauma and nostalgia (Prescott-Steed 2013; 72). Bennett describes the story of a man who visits a place that he believes his father drowned. The man undergoes emotional torture from the time that he plans to tour the site. He reveals that he has continued to postpone the visit because he feels that he does not have the will of recreating sad memories. The middle aged man recalls stories that his parents told his of how his grandfather walked down to the university boathouse and drowned. The traumatic experiences make his to visit and write about the site to develop a cathartic effect. At the same time, he has fond memories of the good days when he used to visit the place near the site his grandfather died. On the contrary, Matt has nostalgic feeling about the place that he is visiting. He used to live in the city before he went away for over twenty years. His visit of the site is a recreation of the good past. He goes to locate the exact point where a historian has indicated that it was the point where an explorer proclaimed Brisbane as a settlement. In essence, the narrator is tracing his roots and wants to understand his identity. The pride of belonging to the place gives him a sense of reason to do his psychogeography. Lastly, the cultural and social critique is evident in the two extracts. Merlin (2012; 183) writes, “Places are constructed out of articulations of social relations which are not internal to that locale but which link them to elsewhere.” The two extracts expound on particular places but have specific social relations. Bennett related the university boathouse with the death of his grandfather while Matt looks at it as a home where he belongs, but which, like a prodigal son has departed from it for a long period. Therefore, his coming marks a reconnection and reconciliation with his past while for Bennett it evokes sad memories and visits the site to seek healing. The two extracts critique the urban setting by showing the lack of value on its changes. Bennett shows the negligence that has left the city untidy while Matt criticizes the changes that have brought confusion in the urban space. Apparently, the two extracts have demonstrated the use of psychogeography in writing. The writers have employed the concepts of politics and criticism of the status quo, walking, marginalized urban experiences and space, the re-enchantment of the cityscape, spatial history and the ‘the past’, trauma, nostalgia and cultural and social critique in their presentations. Evidently, they have destabilised the status quo concerning the previous descriptions of the places while walking in the emerging spaces. By extension, the writers have depicted the evident differences in creating images about the urban centres. At the same time, the extracts have shown how the urban setting acts as social spaces for people: creating good and bad memories. BIBLIOGRAPHY Derek Gregory et al (2011). The Dictionary of Human Geography. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Doreen Massey (1995) 'Places and their Pasts', History Workshop Journal, 30: 182-192Top of Form Guy Debord (1981) 'Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography', [1955] in Knabb, K. (ed) Situationist International Anthology,Berkeley: Bureau of Public Secrets Merlin Coverley (2010) from Psychogeography, Harpenden: Pocket Essentials Merlin Coverley (2012) 'The Return of the Walker', in The Art of Wandering: the Writer as Walker, Oldcastle Books: Harpenden Prescott-Steed, D. (2013). The Psychogeography of Urban Architecture. Self Will (2013) Psychogeography. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Read More

He walks on foot and marvels at the changes that have taken place at the institution of learning. New structures have replaced the old ones while there are also some negligence which has left the place untidy. Matta also visits the place he has longed for and he treks to the site. He goes to Brisbane River where he believes that there is a granite obelisk where his mentor John Oxley stood and proclaimed a settlement of the place. He walks from the start of his visit of the town and along the way observes strange things that he records.

Seemingly, walking acts as a metaphor that indicates that it equates with writing. The more the person walks, the more he writes. Therefore, walking resonates with exploration and documentation. The writer documents what he observes while walking. Third, there is marginal/marginalised urban experiences and space that the two writers elaborate. They have described the settings as unique places from the rest of the environment. The writers give an image of strangeness that manifests in the place where changes are paramount.

The descriptions, well described by Merlin (2010; 13) that psychogeography and its practitioners offer an account of ironic humour with jargon-heavy proclamations. The two writers use fun to describe the places making it appealing to the readers. The urban centres appear as isolations from the rest of the society. The manner at which the writers describe the place as if they have never visited the place shows the marginalisation. They insinuate that an attempt to give the urban centres precise description is fluid because they change their appearance often.

Fourth, the writings reflect the re-enchantment of the cityscape associated with psychogeography. The two writers become marvelled by the strange appearance of the cities they visit and with words, they illustrate the power of change as Merlin (2010; 13) says, “This sense of life as essentially mysterious and unknowable immediately lends itself to gothic representations of the city.” The mystery of the town signifies the mystery of life. The writers attempt to understand life but even as they approach the discovery, it shifts to uncertainty leading them to utter shock marked by many descriptions much to what Sinclair as cited in Merlin (2012; 211) says, “Travelling through a landscape so often characterised by invisible institutions, the motif of Sinclair’s walk is the asylum and their forgotten inhabitants, a population which Sinclair regards as somehow emblematic of this suburban interzone.

” Fifth, the extracts provide a spatial history of the settings (Debord 1981; 21). The writers give a vivid history of the past in an attempt to reconnect with the present. Each writer relates what he saw or heard in the past versus what actually appears during the observation. Bennett gives the background information about the University that he did not know that it had a boathouse until when he visits the site and confirms that it used to function until it because a copse. The writer also laments that the city and the university have neglected several sites and made the place look untidy.

The two extracts agrees to what Doreen (1995; 183) says that people like to correlate with the past. On the other hand, Matt narrates the history of Brisbane city, which he claims has undergone many changes as compared to what historians have documented. He refers to John Orlex that he claims has written about the place and shows a contrast between his observations and what is in the book. He questions the authenticity of the historian after reading that the historian made some errors in his work.

For example, he claims that the obelisk site is in Brisbane’s Milton and North quay. The contradiction shows the need for research and documentation in order to ascertain some statements written by early scholars. At the same time, the two writers also exhibit the concept of trauma and nostalgia (Prescott-Steed 2013; 72). Bennett describes the story of a man who visits a place that he believes his father drowned.

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