I have noticed since taking this walk that in my day to day life I am starting to take more notice of the streets I use. This exercise revealed the value of really seeing things around you, and engaging with the landscape in a way you normally wouldn’t.

Walking with a friend allowed for discussion and two sets of eyes meant we both noticed different things which the other may have missed. It allowed us both to view streets we walk down every day in a different light and discover new areas and features in town.

The Lunar New Year tree is visible on the street level above

Our route led us back the way we came, but on a different level. This time we walked at the river level, and my friend pointed out we could see the Lunar New Year tree on the street above us. This offered us a new view point and perspective on a place we’d already been.

Large statue of a lamp

We found this sculpture of a lamp which appeared to have a massive lightbulb inside. I wondered if it would turn on in the dark which reminded me of the derive prompt – “Imagine the place at night, what is different, what is the same?”. I will have to visit at night to find out!

It is clear we were lucky with the timing of our walk to stumble upon the New Year events. It being Saturday midday made it an active time for community activities. This made us feel more like a part of the local Durham community rather than just a part of the student community.

We arrived in Market Square just in time to catch the Lunar New Year parade which involved drumming and Chinese Dragon Dancers. A large crowd had gathered to watch which was made up of families. This highlights the integration of Chinese culture’s tradition into Durham.

Children writing wishes and hanging them on the Lunar New Year tree

This Lunar New Year tree stood out in a familiar landscape and so we went to explore. Children were writing wishes in red envelopes and hanging them on the tree. This reminded me of the dérive prompt - “Imagine yourself a child again, what would draw you in? Investigate.”

We were drawn off North Road towards the Head of Steam pub which was playing music. The atmosphere in this area created a stark contrast to the busy street outside. Will definitely be back at some point to try this out!

Warhammer shopfront

Parkin’s shopfront

On North Road we noticed several shops we’d never seen before. Pictured below are Warhammer and Parkin’s. Despite this being a street we walk down most days, these particular shops don’t relate to our interests or student lifestyle, so we had never noticed them before.

Smiley face sticker on a lampost

Street number

We started in the viaduct area. I began to notice things on the streets where we lived that I hadn’t before, such as differences in the styles of house numbers and stickers on the walls and street lamps (probably to do with the area being full of student houses).

Playing rock, paper scissors

Playing rock, paper scissors

I walked with a friend, and my methodology involved involved playing rock paper scissors at every turning point. If I won, we turned left, and if she won we turned right. I also referred to a list of dérive prompts which helped me engage with the landscape we walked through.

Map highlighting my route around Durham

Drifting around Durham – I used a combination of the dérive app prompts and elements of randomness to structure my route around Durham, which allowed me to explore the psychogeography of the urban landscape. I walked for around an hour - for my route see the attached map!