A Collective Psychogeographic Mapping of Krabbesholm
The map as an experiential device

Krabbesholm Højskole (2020)
In this workshop, Architecture Team 2 has worked on creating a large Psychogeographic map of Krabbesholm. This has been done based on and inspired by the Situationists. The Situationists were proponents of a freedom-oriented, left-wing critique of society in the 1950s and 60s. Much of their criticism was rooted in the idea that capital had gained almost complete dominance over Western culture, and that capitalism had taken the form of total commodity fetishism. The result was a "society of the spectacle" where people were reduced to spectators without the ability to intervene and change their own reality.

An early project that the Situationists were dedicated to was called "dérive," which can be translated as "drifting" in the urban landscape to observe how different urban environments affect moods. The idea was to let go of deliberate processes and allow for playful and constructive behavior. During these walks, people would talk to each other about how they experienced different things, and this also became a tool for self-analysis. From this, they developed the theory of psychogeography, which is about how physical environments affect us. The Situationists believed that modernist urban planning and architecture only contribute to a society where people become more isolated. The modern city has been reduced to a backdrop for consumption.

This workshop is based on the philosophy and idea of the Psychogeographic map of the Situationists. In other words, a map and mapping are not just about measurable units but are highly subjective interpretations.

We are all different from each other and, therefore, experience the world differently. However, some spatial elements can be experienced similarly and form a common trait - it is this common trait that we have tried to identify.

We have created a psychogeographic map that tells a story about Krabbesholm and replaces the measurable reality with our subjective experience - which, according to the Situationists, is the true reality. Fragments of the school blend with each other and create a dynamic expression.

The workshop has consisted of several acts/parts, which provide the map with collective information that forms the basis for making generalizations about the 'personality traits' that Krabbesholm consists of. Architecture Team 2 has been divided into 10 groups, each of which has drawn movement diagrams, plans, detailed drawings, perspectives, and videos.

As we have added information to the map, it has taken on the character of an archive containing collective information about Krabbesholm.

I denne workshop har Arkitektur hold 2 arbejdet på et stort psychogeographic kort over Krabbesholm. Dette er gjort med udgangspunkt i og inspiration af Situationisterne. Situationisterne stod for en frihedsrettet, venstreorienteret kritik af samfundet i 1950-60’erne. Meget af kritikken var grundet i tanken om at kapitalen havde fået en næsten fuldstændig dominans på den vestlige kultur, og at kapitalismen havde taget form af en total varefetichisme. Resultatat var et “skuespilsamfund” hvor mennesker er reduceret til tilskuere uden mulighed for at gribe ind i og ændre deres egen virkelighed. Et tidligt projekt som situationisterne havde viet sig til kaldtes dérive, som kan oversættes med “at drive rundt”, i bylandskabet for at se hvordan de forskellige bymiljøer påvirker sindsstemninger. Man skulle slippe de viljestyrede processer og tillade en legende og konstruktiv opførsel. Under vandringerne talte man med hinanden om hvordan man oplevede forskellige ting, og dette blev på en måde også et instrument til at analysere sig selv. Af dette udviklede man teorien om psykogeografi, dvs. hvordan fysiske miljøer påvirker os. SI mente at den modernistiske byplanlægning og arkitektur kun bidrager til et samfund hvor mennesker bliver mere isolerede. Den moderne by er reduceret til en kulisse for konsum. Denne workshop tager udgangspunkt i Situationisternes filosofi og ide om det Psykogeografiske kort. Altså at et kort og kortlægning ikke kun handler om målbare enheder, men er i høj grad en subjektiv fortolkning. Vi er alle forskellige fra hinanden og oplever derfor verden forskelligt. Men nogle rumlige elementer kan opleves éns og udgør et fællestræk - det er dette fællestræk har vi forsøgt at finde frem til. Vi har skabt et psykogeografisk kort som fortæller en historie om Krabbesholm og som erstatter den målbare virkelighed med vores subjektive oplevelse - som ifølge situationisterne er den sande virkelighed. Fragmenter af skolen blandes med hinanden og giver et dynamisk udtryk. Workshoppen har bestået af flere akter/dele, som tillægger kortet kollektive informationer, der sammen danner en basis for at drage en generalisering omkring hvilke ‘personlighedtræk‘ Krabbesholm består af. Arkitektur hold 2 har været opdelt i 10 grupper som hver har tegnet bevægelsesdiagrammer, planteninger, detaljetegninger, perspektiver og video. I takt med at vi har indsat informationer på kortet har det fået karakter af et arkiv, som indeholder kollektive informationer om Krabbesholm.