Septembers First Sunday

Hello everyone First Sunday This Sunday, and time for a wander. We'll meet 2pm at the glacial erratic on Ardwick Green (near the Apollo, a very short walk from Piccadilly Station, and yes the former gathering point of the Victorian Ardwick Anarchists). All welcome for a fairly unstructured derive and a bit of a blether.

We Shall Overcome in October

We Shall Overcome is a collective howl of rage and love celebrating arts and culture, supporting those affecting by austerity and showing solidarity. http://weshallovercomeweekend.com/ it’s a weekend of beautiful things and I am delighted The LRM are contributing two special walks.

We will be wandering the boundary between public and private space, exploring radical histories, DIY culture, and public/private space. We will uncover the power structures and architecture of fear that works to keep us off the streets and share stories of resistance, solidarity and creative mischief. Expect a wee bit of occult bobbins and rants against inequality and austerity,

On Saturday 3^rd October we venture out of town and take We Shall Overcome to the streets of George Osbourne’s constituency. It’s our first ever trip to Wilmslow and I expect it to be very special. Meet 2pm Wilmslow Railway Station.

Sunday 4^th October is First Sunday of course and so we will be back in Manchester. Meet 10am outside The Peoples History Museum (the early start means no clash with activities around the Tory conference).

Both events are open to everyone. Please bring a donation (long lasting food, socks, gloves, hats – I will post a full list soon). In Manchester we are collecting for The Booth Centre, Wilmslow tbc and I will update ASAP.

Since the earliest iteration of The LRM I have made clear I think there are many psychogeographies and we should relish those diverse blossoms. However that has never implied I think psychogeography is a meaningless term, more that I don’t want to get stuck in semantics.

I passionately believe there has to be an inherent political element – a subversive intention, a desire to walk truth to power, to uncover hidden histories and step towards a better future – to psychogeography. A dérive is more than a leisurely stroll (although that does not make it unpleasureable) it should be unsettling, peculiar and not turn away from contradictions or difficult questions. It should be a creative (re)mapping of imagination and desire, and we should strive to open up and share those cartographic duties so anyone and everyone can feel like our streets belong to us all. This feels more important than ever in an environment that demonises drifting, erodes public space and seeks to enclose and restrict our minds as well as our bodies, It is also never enough, and can only be one tactic, one tool, amongst many that build the cities of our dreams. (As an aside I am so proud to loiter with so many good folk who fight and question and build and work and dream in so many different ways).

Perhaps most importantly of all psychogeography is NOT just a theory, it has to be a practice as well, a living, breathing, panting, messy, contradictory, beautiful, troublesome walking DOING but just talking. This is one of the reasons I am contributing my wanders in October to We Shall Overcome and I would urge other psychogeographers to do the samehy. A dérive is more than a leisurely stroll (although that does not make it unpleasurable) it should be unsettling, peculiar and not turning away from contradictions or difficult questions. It should be a creative (re)mapping of imagination and desire, and we should strive to open up and share those cartographic duties so anyone and everyone can feel like our streets belong to us all. This feels more important than ever in an environment that demonises drifting, erodes public space and seeks to enclose and restrict our minds as well as our bodies. It is also never enough, and can only be one tactic, one tool amongst many that build the cities of our dreams. (As an aside I am so proud to loiter with so many good folk who fight and question and build and work and dream in so many different ways).

Sheffield symposium, October 15th

Dear friends, colleagues and fellow wanderers

I am delighted to invite you to a Psychogeographical Symposium in Sheffield on October 15th 2015  to celebrate the launch of “Walking Inside Out: Contemporary British Psychogeography.”

I’m thrilled so many contributors will be there and I'm especially pleased this is happening in Sheffield as the book is dedicated to Victoria Henshaw whose work is featured.

Full details are as follows:

This special event brings together contributors to "Walking Inside Out: Contemporary British Psychogeography" (Tina Richardson, ed, Rowman and Littlefield International, 2015). Walking Inside Out represents the first attempt to merge the work of literary, academic and artist practitioners to critically explore the state of psychogeography today. It discusses a range of critical and creative walking practices, and how they can be used to investigate everyday life and urban phenomena.
The symposium will include presentations from:
Luke Bennett (Sheffield Hallam University)
Alexander Bridger (University of Huddersfield)
Andrea Capstick (University of Bradford)
Gareth Rees (author)
Tina Richardson (independent scholar, editor)
Morag Rose (University of Sheffield)
Phil Wood (author)


Questions and debate from participants will be very welcome. We want to celebrate the diversity, and discuss the controversies, that inform psychogeography today.


The event will conclude with a wine reception sponsored by Rowman and Littlefield International, and is supported by The Department of Urban Studies and Planning at The University of Sheffield.

Tickets are free but places are limited – please book here to reserve your place:

 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/walking-inside-out-a-psychogeographic-symposium-book-launch-tickets-18204864239 

I really hope you will be able to make it, and my thanks to everyone who has supported the organisation of this event. If you need any more information please don't hesitate to contact. Please feel free to forward this to anyone who may be interested 

My very best wishes

Morag

August First Sunday

Dear Loiterers

Its First Sunday, This Sunday and many loiterers have dispersed far and wide to celebrate Summer elsewhere. Therefore we are going to try something a little bit different, which also means friends who can rarely get to Manchester can join in as well. It’s a First Sunday for anyone, anywhere!

At twelve O’clock on Sunday 2^nd August I will begin to tweet some derive instructions, these will appear for 90 minutes or so and you can see them by checking @lrm If you aren’t on twitter I can text the instructions, if you would like this please make sure I have your phone number by texting me on 079 749 29589.  Please follow the instructions in your own way – they will be open to interpretation and of course you need to take care and be mindful of your environment. It would be wonderful if folk could let me know how it is going by tweet or text but that is, of course, entirely optional.  Because I don’t want to go a month without wandering collectively there will be a chance to share stories, and  go for a walk, on Wednesday 5^th August. Meet in the Sandbar, Grosvenor Street, at 6pm.

There are also several developments in Manchester which are anti-loitering and which you may want to object to. The Camp for Homeless Justice are in court tomorrow fighting an injunction which could potentially criminalise rough sleepers and be used to suppress demonstration and lawful protest. The consultation periods are also open for plans to close the Undercroft on Rochdale Canal at night, and to build some very dull flats on Pomona, a favourite place to loiter. Much has been written about this elsewhere, if you do need more information (or it would be helpful to read my objections) please do get in touch.

I hope to walk with you virtually on Sunday and see you on the streets soon

Best wishes

Morag

We SHALL overcome

Psychogeographers of the world unite and take over (for one weekend at least)
As some of you know in October The LRM are dedicating our First Sunday derive in Manchester to the We Shall Overcome weekend. This is a collective howl of rage and love celebrating arts and culture, supporting those affecting by austerity and showing solidarity. http://weshallovercomeweekend.com/

I am calling on all comrades in loitering to get involved with We Shall Overcome wherever you are. I be...lieve there is an inherent politics in the practice of psychogeography, and I know I’m not the only person to worry it gets buried sometimes under layers of art and / or academic language and / or the sheer joy of wandering. Yes, there is a lot to criticise about The SI but “sur le pave, la plage” still resonates with me as the spectacle becomes ever more suffocating.

I believe at its heart psychogeography (however you define it) is about
O sharing the hidden stories of our streets and the people who have lived and struggled here
O understanding the hidden power struggles that shape our lives
thinking about who controls space, who uses it and who doesn’t and why
O (re)mapping and (re)imaging where we wander
O respecting the many diverse communities who make our homes what they are
O starting conversations, having a good time and reclaiming the streets for more than shopping

what could be more appropriate to a free festival of resistance, solidarity and joy?

So PLEASE think about doing something on the 2-5 October. It could be a wander, a talk, a reading, an exhibition, a film night, an action, a creative reclaiming of space or anything really - but it would be truly wonderful to get psychogeographic component to We Shall Overcome.

I’m more than happy to share any tools I have that may be useful or to chat through any ideas you may have. Let’s take it to the streets all over the psychogeographic universe!

July First Sunday

It's First Sunday This Sunday (well, it isn't strictly speaking but we played with time shifting this month). We'll be meeting outside Home on Tony Wilson Place (!) at 1pm for a communal dérive of some sort. All welcome to drift around the city with us and it would be lovely to see you xx

PS I'm putting this here as a reminder to myself. This Summer I am finally going to sort out The LRM website

July First Sunday

Hello everyone

I hope you are enjoying the sunshine, as mentioned before July has played a time-shifting trip on us. First Sunday has been temporarily displaced to Sunday 12^th July, details to be confirmed. My apologies for any disappointment or inconvenience but I hope to see you soon. In the meantime this looks ace: Manchester’s Improving Daily http://edwardthesecond.co.uk/

Also, from 2007 here are some instructions for a DIY derive, because wandering is for life, not just for First Sundays.

1 Stop what you're doing and tap your heels together. Spin around if you feel like it. (the LRM accept no liability for any accidents that may occur due to over zealous spinning so please take care).

2 Head off in whichever direction takes your fancy and wander at will until you want to stop.

3 As you traverse, aim to discover something new and marvellous and look for something you have never seen, felt or listened to before (we bet there will be something).

4 Repeat as desired at intervals through out the day or don't. If you think this is pointless you may be right. But we think it will be fun and we can create something beautiful from it.

6 If you do have an adventure please send us a few notes, observations, random words or pictures.

Take care and see you on the streets soon

Morag x