Going the Wrong Way, From the Dérive to Parkour

Macs Smith, Queen’s College Oxford

In 1956, Situationist International conceptualized the dérive as a response to what they saw as the growing atomization of life in Paris. They argued that walking against the grain of the city could break down social boundaries and reshape urban communities. In recent years, that idea has been taken up by a variety of artists, urbanists, and athletes who, in different ways, have sought to change Paris by changing how we move through it. This talk focuses on two examples: Philippe Vasset's Un livre blanc (2007) and the popular extreme sport, Parkour. Both seek to break down barriers in the city, but they do so with strikingly different attitudes to mediation. Together, they elucidate some of the problems with walking as a way of contesting urban spaces.  

This event is free and open to all. Booking is not required.