Merlin Coverley: 'Psychogeography'

I was interested to read a review of Merlin Coverley’s book ‘Psychogeography’ [1.], on the painter Shaun Morris’ blog.  It’s a subject I’ve given much thought to of late and mentioned here several times.  I’ve returned to Coverley’s book several times, as an excellent overview of a tradition that can be tricky to pin down and a great portal for loads of further reading.

In 1955 Guy Debord usefully defined Psychogeography as,

“…the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals.” [2.]

Guy-Ernest Debord

Debord and his Parisian Lettrist and Situationist comrades were keen to construct a formal theoretical framework for their revolutionary agenda and Debord’s emphasis on “precise laws” and “specific effects” is typical of his post-Marxist approach.  I think I prefer a second description, by Joseph Hart, of,

“…a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for exploring cities…just about anything that takes pedestrians off their predictable paths and jolts them into a new awareness of the urban landscape.” [3.]

Coverley’s book highlights how, beyond any political interpretation, Psychogeography is actually a wider literary tradition.  It finds early expression in the work of Defoe, Poe, Baudelaire and extends through the writings of Walter Benjamin and the Parisians, into the contemporary work of Iain Sinclair, J.G. Ballard, Stewart Home and filmmakers Chris Petit and Patrick Keiller.

J.G Ballard's House, Shepperton 

Iain Sinclair

Still From Chris Petit's English Road Movie - 'Radio On', 1979

Today, it appears the label has achieved mainstream recognition, covering a field that might contain urban exploration, local history, ghost walks, trespassing, rambling, geomancy and everything in between, including the activities of artists in all media.  It extends beyond the purely urban environment and would certainly include the marginal terrain dubbed ‘Edgelands’ by Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts. [4.]  For me, the key points remain the importance of a personal response and a willingness to make simultaneous, invigorating connections between possible biographical, theoretical, sociological or historical interpretations in a location.

What interests me in Shaun Morris’ post is the perspective of the visual artist on all this.  Shaun asserts the primacy for him of a visual response to place over a conscious search for subjects or locations that fit the preconceived Psychogeographical bill.  The tension between the pictorial and the conceptual and one’s position on that spectrum is something all painters must resolve for themselves and was probably at the root of some of the creative confusion I highlighted here a while back.

Shaun Morris, 'Stolen Car 8', Oil on Canvas, 2012

I agree with Shaun’s emphasis on the primacy of a visual stimulus and usually find the best remedy for creative indecision is simply to get back out there and look.  However, I recognise how much I also value the multiple layers of potential meaning that can emerge from a psychogeographical reading of a locale following the initial act of recognition.  This probably connects with my own tendency towards abstraction.  My default process appears to involve distilling the observed world into an abstracted arena for reflection and the decoding of signs and clues found within it.

[1.]:  Merlin Coverley, 'Psychogeography', Harpenden, UK, Pocket Essentials, 2010

[2.]:  Guy Debord, 'Introduction To A Critique Of Urban Geography', Paris, 1955

[3.]:  Joseph Hart, 'A New Way Of Walking', Utne Reader, July/August 2004

[4.]:  Paul Farley & Michael Simmons Roberts, 'Edgelands - Journeys Into England's True Wilderness',    London, Johnathan Cape, 2011