Last week, we discussed the Situationist International and Guy Debord.

Last week, we discussed the Situationist International and Guy Debord. You’ll remember that Debord defines the dérive as “a mode of experimental behavior linked to the conditions of urban society: a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances.” It is an unplanned journey through a landscape, usually urban, in which participants drop their everyday relations and “let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there”—defined more directly, to dérive = to drift.

you are asked to document a dérive of your own via a mixture of video, photography and text commentary/reflection. There is flexibility in how you document your dérive, but the guidelines are as follows:

– Do your best to make this an unplanned, spontaneous journey (no maps and pick an environment you do not know well) But safety is the priority, be sure you are in a safe environment for your dérive. Plan accordingly and allow this experience to be at least a few hours, giving yourself plenty of time to drift and be lost.

– You can use video and/or photographs to document key moments from your dérive. For video documentation, please keep the final film length between 2-5 minutes. For image documentation, please include at least 15 key images from your dérive – clearly laying out and explaining the relevance of each image. For either format, you need to include a minimum of 1,000 words of commentary of your experience. Commentary can be written text or audio recordings. Commentary can be based on your experience at the time and based on your reflections after the experience.

– Remember, there are also apps available to help you “get lost”. These are optional, but may help you get started. www.fastcompany.com