Become the perfect 'flâneur'
As a first approximation to this convoluted matter that is the art of wandering , the designer and urban planner Ellen Keith published some time ago The Guide to Getting Lost , a vademecum with three proposals , which we will now detail, to become the ' flâneur' perfect . This is: that walker who wander the streets without direction some, without destination.
the one who discovers unexpected urban topographies activating the intuition as a single device. passionate observer , browse alleys; with every step, move a border. The new look of him premieres buildings, cafes, parks, monuments …, while he crosses paths with unpublished faces . He carries a free, improvised walk; but he is not afraid of going astray, because he knows that the paths never go astray , that there are no wrong directions.
Here are the directions for Ellen Keith , but, attention: for logistical reasons , the three routes indicated below cannot be done using GPS applications, so it is recommended to disable this function of the mobile. For one full experience, it's recommended forget the phone at home provided there is no medical contraindication).
Put on your explorer cape and rediscover your surroundings
ITINERARY FOR AN URBAN SAFARI
1.Leave the house and go to the bus stop closest.
2.Get on the first bus what happens
3.Get off after 15 stops.
4.When you get off the bus, go to the left.
5.When you pass a person you find interesting, immediately turn around and take the first street on the left.
6.Look for a kiosk, a store or a coffee.
7.Stand up and observe around you.
8.Go to the address that calls the most your attention.
9. Divert to the first side street That you find; when you get to the end, turn right.
10.Reorient yourself (without checking your mobile) . look for the slope closest and go up it.
11.Take a breath, look for a place to rest (a bench, a terrace, the lawn in the park…) , Sit down for at least ten minutes and wait to see What's up.
"Go out when nothing forces you and follow your inspiration, as if the mere fact of turning to the right or to the left were in itself an essentially poetic act".
Get on the first bus that passes
ITINERARY TO GEOLOCATE YOUR CURIOSITY
1.Go to a neighborhood of the city you are curious about.
2.As a starting point, choose a park or anywhere in the neighborhood that appeals to you.
3.Once you have fully explored this site, start to walk.
4.Go straight until you find a traffic light in red . Change the direction you were taking and cross the first traffic light you see green.
5.When you reach the end of the street, turn on the left and head towards the next intersection.
6.Once there, let yourself go in the direction that is most striking to you. After two apples turn right.
7. Try to find a cyclist . If too many cyclists pass by, try to find a dog and follow the same direction. Go three blocks and return to point four of the itinerary.
8. Follow these steps until you've seen enough of the neighborhood.
9.When you have seen enough of the neighborhood, take a bus in the direction of a unknown place . Take a ride on public transport. Avoid looking at the mobile screen. Look through the window and get off the bus as soon as something out there catches your eye.
"The shape of a city changes faster than the heart of a mortal"
Part of a place that you find attractive, such as a riverbank
ITINERARY TO ESCAPE THE TRACK PATHS
1.Go to an area of the city that be familiar to you but in which you still have corners to explore. (Hint: it can be any neighborhood, even yours ) .
2.Go to a reference point for you.
3. On the way, take a street along which you don't pass normally (or better yet, the one you've never been through!)
4.Take another street which you don't normally go through.
5.And another.
6.And another.
7.And another.
8.etc.
9. Congratulations! You're already a ' flâneur'.
"For the perfect 'flâneur', the greatest joy is to be away from home and to feel at home everywhere; to look at the world, to be strictly in the center of the world and to keep oneself hidden from the world"
Congratulations! You are already a 'flâneur'
Note 1 : Any of the above indications are susceptible to be ignored by the apprentice of 'flâneur_'._
Note 2: Remember that this manual is addressed to apprentices of 'flâneur'. For an advanced degree, read Baudelaire and Benjamin.
Note 3: Quotes highlighted above are taken from the book Work of the passages , by Walter Benjamin.