Walking as an Aesthetic Practice and a Critical Tool: Some Psychogeographic Experiments

This paper gives an account of a fieldwork exercise in Paris which attempted to relate social theory and fieldwork practice. The paper begins with a brief historical review of different perspectives on the practice of walking, as a form of movement through the city with aesthetic and critical potential. A more detailed account is then given of the particular theories and practices of the avant-garde group known as the Situationist International, which are drawn upon for the fieldwork exercise. The paper then reflects on the problems encountered in trying to apply these ideas in a fieldwork exercise, and concludes with some comments on improvements and further developments.