Brixton To Hoxton To Bunhill Fields To Soho Stories
Brixton to Hoxton to Bunhill Fields to Soho Stories
So at the risk of falling into the English cliché of talking about the weather, I really have found the weather interesting recently. I felt relieved when the weather suddenly turned for the sunnier recently – knowing that I would be inspired and keen to wander the streets of London, with my psychogeography book and phone at the ready. However, this is how today’s journal began…in the tube… ….‘It’s cold and wet and I’ve pulled myself away from my friends and their kids to make my way to Brixton Underground on my journey to Hoxton for the Geffrye and possibly Bunhill Fields if I can get a look in – will possibly look out for some of the cafes I’ve heard mentioned in a pscyhogeography context (courtesy of a website link from a friend:
http://www.classiccafes.co.uk/Psy.html
This will be an experience of a sat afternoon away from my familiar ground – which I am always happy to do – but interesting that these pyschogeography pastures seem to be in East London – an area that has never been my home or work ground – so I at least get to experience some of the wandering experience by following these trails… So, navigating my way around to find the entrance of the Geffrye was my first task and the entrance to the garden itself was even more of a task for me! I did question my navigation skills. I found it though and was able to listen to the entire trail, which involved phoning a number and dialing a hash tag for each listening place. Very easy to follow – the audio trail was to the left og the gardens and the children’s trail to the right.
It gave me some good inspiration for questions to ask when analysing other trials as well as things to ask myself about my own – when I get there. I realized that I will need to listen again because I was too busy writing down thoughts that came to mind and taking photos as well. Which was at least possible with the nature of it being over the phone, because I could also type and photograph at the same time as listening to the loud speaker. Some of the questions inspired or hi-lighted from visiting are:
How interactive is the trail?
What kind of things does it ask you to do/think about?
Are there options for feedback, ways to be involved, a way to continue finding out more and follow on from the experience?
How many different voices are heard? Do we know who the people are?
What point of view is it giving across?
How long is each stop? How long is the trail if you do it all?
Is it sequenced?
Voices talking in everyday speech or some drama included?
Do they invite you to/or suitable to have a communal or individual experience?
Do I take away anything from the trail? An opinion or something I’ve learned?
I managed to do the Geffrye without too much rain, but as I left it started tipping it down! I had planned to walk to Bunhill fields and peer into any cafes along the way. However, I grabbed my phone and ran for the nearest bus! I was not the only person standing in doorways and consulting my phone. I found Bunhill Fields and literally grabbed a few photos as I walked through and then to Moorgate.
I recorded some sound excerpts – of the rain and of me speaking in the rain. I am not so sure that I will publish me speaking on the phone just yet, however, it was today that I realised that recording sound excerpts and even practising speaking myself for audio will be an invaluable experience. If I expect people to sound interesting on my trail, then I need to be able to do it myself. I was wondering if Bunhill fields in torrential rain is what I was destined to see - as I had just spoken to a friend on the phone who I was due to meet up with after and she said that it was pouring with rain when she went there with her book club and so she didn't go in.
I realised a little while back that I am very much restricted in my movements and audio trail listening by the amount of battery life I have. Also how much of my internet allowance I can afford to use! I also contemplated GPS and how in a way it lets you be freer sometimes in your wandering, as you know you can find yourself when you want to be found. I am though nervous of the 1984 feeling that everything and everyone will truly be tracked and monitored very soon (well we are already sort of).
I’m nearly running out of steam here and to be honest I am not even sure if anyone will be with me by this stage. This blog is surely a very personal process type thing…. Hmmm….
So my day ended with a little respite from the rain and a test of a the Soho stories app with a friend. I have to say that this was a positive experience. Very ambient and interesting characters speaking. I only listened to three stories, but have the feeling it will be easy to return and listen to more.
Okay, I had better leave it here for now. Pictures to upload and even more entries that I have not written yet…
I’ve also been working on my blurb to attract people to speak about the park!
Bye for now!!!
More Posts from Ret-uk and Others
July 2016
I will try and keep more of a track of my work and career development here as well as interesting things (to me at least) connected with museums and learning, access and digital in particular.
Think it took me a whole term (of not studying) after my degree to get to the place where I am now - trying to think more strategically about my career.... In particular about how I can develop my freelance skills as well as keeping my eyes open for more permenant work opportunities. I'm open to a lot but also know what's important to me - to feel good in a role - and in what I can offer in a role. ... The journey continues!
I regard the city as a semi-extinct form. London is basically a nineteenth century city. And the habits of mind appropriate to the nineteenth century, which survive into the novels set in the London of the twentieth century, aren't really appropriate to understanding what is really going on in life today. I think the suburbs are more interesting than people will let on. In the suburbs you find uncentred lives... So that people have more freedom to explore their own imaginations, their own obsessions.
JG Ballard, Concrete Island, Introduction (1994) in Merlin Coverley's 'Psychogeography'
Approaches to Research
So, I have finally been dipping into the book entitled 'Doing Your Research Project'. The one that is hailed as the 'traditional' approach. We have talked about some different approaches to research in our classes, but still I feel a bit stuck between styles. I like the ideas of 'Action Research', yet I am not really trying to challenge anything or change anything about the job I am doing, because it is not my job, it is an independent project. Yet, I think I have been calling what I am doing action research just for the fact that I am aiming to make a 'product' (in other-words a trail) myself as part of my learning about what makes an effective community trail.
I am also quite intrigued by the 'narrative inquiry' approach. I like the ideas of it, but my question is whether I can be a good storyteller or not! I am looking for stories for my project - stories about the park - and looking into other people's trails that they have created, which are stories - and psychogeography itself seems to have its roots in stories - which I must check out - and I am indeed blogging the process so there is some hope that the narrative approach could be incorporated in my study and writing.
Apologies for the very obvious nature of this entry. I am probably not sounding like an MA student!!
In other news, as they say, I've started listening to the radio for the duration of this assignment (ok, as of yesterday) in order to concentrate on the medium of the spoken word - to consider its potential and gain inspiration.
Questions I have been thinking all along, but came to me quite strongly on the underground yesterday are - and these are exactly how I typed them and so don't always make perfect sense, but it is a snippet of my thoughts in action - mostly on te theme of what questions I might ask makers of trails: 'Good practice and effective community trail? Effective for who? The listener or the maker and the community? Or all? What benefits have ppl found? I am looking into alternatives too because can gain inspiration from them... What types are there?! Was there a reason for making a community trail as opposed to another form of interpretation/ engagement? For you what are the positives of making a community trail?'
My next task is to send out the questionnaires and also the text I have been working on to try and recruit participants. I've ordered my digital recorder at last! The Tascam dr-40! Fingers crossed it arrives ok, it works and that I can work out how to use it properly as well as of course get the good stories to record!
Okay, for now it is onwards with reading some articles we were given in class a couple of weeks back about research styles and then for some more reading of my intro to psychogeography book and hopefully a listen of some of the audio trails that people sent me and that I won't be able to go and try them out on the spot as such. I am still hoping for an improvement in weather again to go and try out the trails in location!!!
‘Rosie’s Walk’ encouraging the kids to copy and create doodles to create a similar style to the book :) Native Speaker Teacher in a Vienna Primary School...
Welcome to the trail! I hope that you enjoy it. The trail started as a project for my final MA Museums and Galleries in Education coursework. It...
There are now 4 segments to the trail!! Have a listen if you have not before and especially to the new track entitled the 'Palace Site'. Hope you enjoy and there's more to come :) Please feel free to spread the word. It is a voluntary project - All the time and resources have been offered for free :)
Where my final project started in earnest. On this trip to Crystal Palace Park with O, I'd been tweeting (for my previous project) as one of the Crystal Palace sphinxes and O seemed to be intrigued and interested in this. She wanted to go to the park and try and translate the hieroglyphs. We ended up making a video about the out trip and basically O just enjoyed hanging out by the sphinxes. It was as if she was at home there and as if she had a connection with them because I did. We visited again a few weeks later and a similar thing happened. I felt inspired in the connection that O made with the area and in the film she made (by directing me) and definitely got me truly thinking about using media to create some form of trail for engaging people... and audio in the main....
I must apologise for the absence here!
I have not kept up this blog as much as I wanted to. I have been adding the little updates of my recording on my Facebook Page - and have not found a way to link those up directly with this page! I will try and write some more posts here. However, in the mean time here is a link to my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/CPPAudiotrail
You can also follow me as ret_uk on Twitter - which is linked with my Facebook updates...
In brief, I have now finished two weeks of my main recording for what I hope will be a pilot audio trail of the park. I have really enjoyed it and been extremely appreciate of everyone who has helped me in some way - from suggesting people to contact to being interviewed or even creating music for it!
I will continue to collect stories as they come, but will not actively pursue them during what will become a time of editing and report writing!!
Teaching, learning, music, heritage, nature, theatre, stories, art, cats, community, diversity. Kent, U.K. Instagram: @ret_uk
156 posts