Situationist Space

In McDonough’s article, the principles of Situationist thought are exemplified in a juxtaposition of Guy Dubord’s The Naked City and “the most popular map of Paris,” the Plan du Paris (62). Dubord’s piece is an unorganized, illogical fragmentation of the conventional Plan du Paris, calling for the breaking up of set routes and routines arranged by the capitalistic Haussmanization that we were introduced to in T.J. Clark’s article. Instead, Dubord seeks freedom from this, developing a map of Paris that links new “unities of atmosphere” through “spontaneous inclinations of orientation” (60). He believes that space is an element of society and social practice; he strives to reveal the hidden social hierarchy and violence that plagues the city due to Haussman’s capitalism.

The Naked City was meant to portray the movement through space as a narrative, as opposed to the resolute “timelessness” of the Plan du Paris. These “spatializing actions” (or derives), allowed for discovering and “inhabiting” freely, a rebellion against conventional ways.

Q1: What exactly does McDonough mean by “psychogeography” and what is its significance?

Q2: I was very confused about the word “flanerie”. What’s the difference between this and “derives”?

This article and Situationist thought in general reminds me of an art form called “free running” or “le parkour” or “the art of movement.” I don’t know much about it except that it originated in France, and is based on continuous movement, getting from point A to point B as fast and efficiently as possible. This includes jumping from building to building, jumping down many stories, and then continuing to run toward the final destination. The fragmentation of the Plan du Paris’s pre-arranged routes struck me as quite similar to the alternative direction taken by these free runners. Here is a video from YouTube to give an idea of what this looks like.