‘Psychogeography’ was a term coined by Guy Debord, which was often associated with the Situationist International movement. In an essay by Debord titled Introduction to a Critique of Urban Geography, he describes the term as ‘the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organised or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals.’ http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/display/2 What I understand from this is that Debord, along with the other Situationists, strongly believed that our surroundings have a substantial impact on who we are as individuals. Perhaps this links in some ways to the debate of nature vs. nurture, in the sense that the idea behind Psychogeography suggests that our personalities are largely shaped by nurture – our physical surroundings, our relationships with others etc.
I somewhat feel this is true. Although I would consider a large part of our personalities to be predetermined by nature, I can understand how our physical surroundings have an impact on our behaviour. Having stayed in different countries for long periods of time, I definitely saw slight changes in my own personality and mannerisms and daily life as I adapted to new cultures, new climates and new people. On a larger scale, it’s understandable how people from different backgrounds and places are shaped in different ways.
This idea also reminds me of something that Nigel Shafran often talks about. He explains in a few interviews that I’ve looked at, that the way we do things can be very telling of who we are, sometimes going into detail about how the way we place objects and cut a loaf of bread reveals a lot about us as individuals. This idea fascinates me, and I believe it to be very true. Perhaps being so used to how I do things, I don’t notice it in myself so much, but living with my 5 housemates, I notice how they each place things uniquely. For example, one housemate will hang her tea towel on the cupboard handle, whilst another will always fold it on the side. One housemate lays out her washing on the radiator, and another hangs each sock neatly on the dryer. These are all individual quirks that are perhaps a result of their personalities, their upbringing and where they come from. I want to photograph these seemingly insignificant details, because they are ultimately reflections of us as people – and I think that’s something worth photographing.
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