For this weeks blog, the topic is psycho-geography. Yes, psycho-geography… and you may be very confused by the word and probably have no clue to what it means, just like I did when I first read about it within my English Class. Well to put it in “fancy shamancy” terms it is, “the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals.” but to put it simply– it’s the thoughts, feelings, and emotions a place has on a person while they are in a place. For example when someone is in Meijer (local grocery store) they may feel irritated or upset when they see that there are many people, as well as they can’t find what they need. Many may take a psycho-geographical walk to change up the routine on their mundane commute to wherever they may be going. So, they might take a different route, or they decide that they are going to flip a coin– heads, take a right at the next block, tails, take a left at the next block, and so on till they get to their destination.
You may be thinking, “Ok, so it’s a fancy way of how walking around a place makes you feel or act. What’s that have to do with this post, or navigating a market?” Well my dear reader, everything. I did a psychogeographical walk… in the SVRC Marketplace. The market is made of a bunch of small local businesses that all operate within the same building, it has multiple floors and has a actual farmers market that runs in the Summer, but currently in Michigan it’s winter.. so I just stayed in the building– specifically the first floor (second floor is mainly for businesses or organizational meetings). Bringing up the coin toss for direction from the previous example that’s how I perused through the first floor of the market.
Here’s how the walk began. As you enter the market through the two sets of glass double doors there is a small area that has some tables and such, as well as some posters hanging on the wall, and a small three or four step staircase that starts the first floor. There you look to the right and see a shop that sells merchandise right next to another business called Sushi Remix. Then right in front of you there’s a piano and a staircase that leads to the second floor. Behind that staircase slightly to the left, you can faintly look at some of the other small businesses in the market.
This spot right in front of the stairs is where I made the first coin toss and so began my walk. Moving past the stairs, the coin had landed on tails– the course was to go left. As I navigated the long hall that had several small food businesses lined up next to each other, ranging from Pho– a Vietnamese soup– to a Gourmet Bakery. The coin toss continued for twenty-nine more tosses till I ended my psycho-geographic walk because there was no more market to see. The coin toss– it was irritating– me being me I just wanted to look at everything, and the coin made me go around the same small businesses almost three times.
As, I went around the market I was treated so nicely. The workers/ owners were very kind and very informative about their business. All the different types of vendors and things to look at and see at the market was very exciting and entertaining, it made going around the same block a couple times worth it. I’m not going to lie to you all– do not go there hungry and expect free samples. While on my mapped route you can see I took a turn towards some vendors without using the coin; why? They had samples, I was hungry; I never turn down free food. I ended up trying some great desserts that made not just my taste buds, but me, myself , and I as a whole very happy. Rebecca’s Gourmet Bakery– sample heaven, super tasty.
On this excursion of the marketplace and dealing with tossing a coin every other minute, I really enjoyed walking and looking at all the things the market offers. The variety of vendors is very refreshing and they all have their own charms, they range from food, to clothes and accessories, to collectibles, to even skin care. I even ended up running into the owner of the marketplace, she happen to see me walk around constantly tossing a coin– the psychogeographic walk idea ended up really peaking her interest. I enjoy the idea of taking new routes and trying new ways of getting to a place, but I’d like to do it on my own terms just to be able to focus on the surroundings more than how I am walking throughout the market.
To end my psychogeographic navigation through the market I will say this, It was an experience. I was glad to not be there alone in the market, I had my boyfriend and mother there with me, If I had been alone I probably would have been a bit overwhelmed by everything there and not appreciated what was there. I think that it would be good for someone who is tired of taking the same monotonous route to switch it up and say “I’m going to turn right at this next light and see where it takes me.” is good every once in a while so the brain can stay sharp and focused, plus a person could gain a new preference in the way they go about things. They may also get time to reflect on more things when they aren’t as worried about the way they get to a place. I may start implementing some more psychogeographic walks while I’m at Saginaw Valley, just to spice up getting to class.
Here are some more pictures of the SVRC Marketplace that I took while on my walk.
One Day At A Time 