a flaneur is thus a person who walks the city in order to experience it...aka redundant richy in these past few weeks...becasue of the terms usage and theorisation by numerous thinkers in economic, cultural, literary and historical contexts, the idea of the flaneur has accumulated significant meaning as a reverant for understanding urban phenomena and modernity - charachterised as a ''gentleman stroller of city streets''...
so folks take to your streets and wander...i had a very interesting conversation with a colleague of mine who recently spent time in beijing, having talked of his experiences of the city and the people and how much he enjoyed both, he got to talking about how he got a real sense of both from walking off te beaten track - the side streets and back streets in the small hours of the morning, this is where he seemed to really get a sense of the city and the people who lived there...
revolutionise your weekend plans and abandon all plans, take to your city streets and simply wander, view your surroundings in a completely different context... as Tyler Brule, the founder of wallpaper* puts it - it forces you to consider what elements are necessary to weave a strong, diverse urban fabric...
so in order to become a real city resident i have to agree with his comments - you've got to let the city push, pull, divert and distract you until you're either worn down from over-stimulation or you reach the point where you decide that you and your city are never going to get along...
so in recent weeks i've found the best way to make a real connection or disconnection is to walk it...and thats what i've had the chance to do it dublin all over again, i don't think i've done this since i first moved here and i chose to walk the city streets to get to know it...and leaving behind the daily grind of commute and office work, i've had this chance to fall in love with dublin all over again...yeah redundancy...(although the finances are yearning for that grind again...)
No comments:
Post a Comment