Guimarães sound walk/drive
I was privileged to have a photo exhibition of in loving memory be part of this years The Walking Body, at the University of Minho, in Guimarães, northern Portugal. This work documents 60 interventions in public space, in 16 countries around the world.
This piece, and my work in general, is inspired by the ideas of the Situationists.
Back in 2012, I co-created Dérive app, a mobile app that helps to get you lost, and much of my work has continued along related themes, particularly inspired by the anti-capitalist nature of concepts pioneered by the Situationist International.
The day after the opening of the exhibition, I gave a lecture to students at the university, loosely based on a talk I occasionally give on strategies for subverting the tyranny of the corporate map. One of the suggestions I make in this presentation is to facilitate discovery, particularly urban discovery, through a broader use of our senses, particularly through listening. It’s, in part, why I’m one of the founders of the networking organisation walk · listen · create, which hosts the yearly Sound Walk September Awards.
As a collaborative exercise with the students, I wanted to create a sound walk set in Guimarães, but with a slight twist; not a walk, but a drive. Specifically, a route that followed one of the circular bus routes around the city. Infused with short stories produced by the students, the listener can take a seat on the Number 4 bus, and just be entertained while being driven around town.
The work is still taking submissions, and a first version is available now.
I collect the audio through write@WLC, with the finished product available on Echoes.