CAA Learning Log @ Giorgio Colonna 514841

In light of the recent departure of the American writer Paul Auster, I read his work "The New York Trilogy". Auster, P., "The New York Trilogy", Faber & Faber, Kindle Edition I realized that in his three novels ("City of Glass", "Ghosts" and "The Locked Room") there are psychogeographic elements. If psychogeography is a practice or approach to urban geography that explores how urban environments influence people's emotions and behaviour, Auster explores New York City not only as a physical place but also as a space filled with symbolic and psychological meanings.  In the trilogy, Auster uses New York as a backdrop to explore themes of identity, alienation, loneliness, and randomness. Characters like Daniel Quinn (alias William Wilson alias Paul Auster, self-cited) often wander the city, exploring its neighbourhoods and interacting with its inhabitants in ways that reflect their own internal crises. "......More than anything...

Psychogeographic photography is an approach that focuses on exploring the psychological and emotional impacts of the urban and geographic environment on people.  This genre of photography seeks to capture not only the physical and visible aspects of a place but also its influence on the human psyche, exploring the connections between place, memory and emotion.  Psychogeographic photographers often seek to reveal hidden layers and intangible atmospheres through their images, offering a deeper look into the relationship between the individual and their surroundings.  The psychogeographic photographer does not limit his work to the relationship with the urban environment but extends it to the influence of nature and the environment in general.  A good example would be Richard Long. Long is a British conceptual artist known for his work in land art but also for his exploration of psychogeographic themes through photography. His works often involve long walks through natu...

After reading "Walking", I asked myself this question as I perceived similarities between his way of dealing with spaces and places and that introduced by the situationists. Henry David Thoreau, known for his love of nature, solitude and his simple lifestyle, could be a precursor of psychogeography and psychogeographic drift in a certain sense. However, these theories and practices emerged in times and very different contexts. Psychogeography focuses on the relationship between place and emotion and the subjective perception of spaces. This concept is closely associated with the Situationist movement, a cultural and political movement that arose decades after Thoreau's works. Psychogeographical drift is a technique developed by Situationists in which people move through urban space randomly and unplanned, following instinct and personal attraction instead of predefined routes. This allows us to discover new perspectives and nuances of an often overlooked urban environment...

A photographer decides to start a walk without a set destination. He/she follows the flow of people, letting chance encounters and sudden situations inspire his/her street photographs. A photographer immerses him/herself in an unknown neighbourhood of his city. He/she lets him/herself be guided by the topography of the place and the sensations it arouses, capturing images that reflect the atmosphere and identity of that place. During a rainy day, a photographer decides to go around without an umbrella. Rain and puddles offer new photographic opportunities, creating unique reflections and plays of light. A photographer begins taking photographs without looking through the viewfinder, simply pointing the camera at the people and objects that catch his/her attention.  A photographer focuses on a particular architectural element in a city, such as a staircase or a graffiti wall. From there, he/she begins exploring the surrounding neighbourhood, allowing this element to guide his/her pa...

 It's a question I've asked myself since the first day I tackled this unit and the topics I chose.   Psychogeographical drift is a concept introduced by the Situationists, a group of thinkers and artists in the 20th century. It is, in short, an exploratory practice in which a person abandons himself to randomness and instinct, letting himself be guided by the surrounding environment to discover new perspectives and perceptions of urban space. Psychogeographical drift has also been applied to street photography, where photographers take a similar approach, allowing the circumstances and flow of street life to guide their photography.  The relationship between psychogeographical drift and street photography is based on spontaneity, openness to the unexpected and the ability to capture authentic and significant moments in the streets of cities.

  In this session, we will analyze and answer the following questions.   1.   How do you understand/define the term ‘theoretical framework’ in relation to both practice and academic output ? 2.   Drafts: How do you understand writing as a way to discover your theoretical framework and argument? 3.   How do you perceive the relationship between your research images, your practice and your theoretical framework?   As stated by the Tutor, the reflections and the consequent statements also derive from the experience made in the previous unit. I thought it might be a good exercise to have a personal research and reflection before the session so that I can compare it with the conclusions after the session. The following are my conclusions as an outcome of my research on the above questions.     1.   How do you understand/define the term ‘theoretical framework’ in relation to both practice and academic output ?   A ...