I've been trying to think a bit harder to come up with tasks that may allow you to interact/intervene more with a culture rather than just observe. Observation is very important, but a lot of people have said that the things they have taken from a trip have been because of the people there. it's important to interact with other travellers for some reasons, but to understand the culture we need to interact. i also want to question the impact or intervention we have on a culture as western travellers...
39. Purposely speak English to someone in each place you visit, with no attempt at their language and note the differences in how they react.
40. Go to a mass in every place you visit.
41.a Support the local economy, do not buy anything that is mass-produced/manufactured - i.e. buy souvenirs made within the region/one offs/from markets, eat at local cafes/bakeries/restaurants, and where possible, accomodation - small, locally owned hotels and hostels, rather than chains.
41.b Try to strike up a conversation with the locals at these places, and record comments afterwards.
42. Ask a local what they think the key aspects of their culture are - city or country, good or bad. Write them down, then act on trying to discover them.
43. Leave your name in every place you go (physical intervention)
44.Ask a local if you can take a picture of them looking directly at the camera. Note their reaction/response and comfort/discomfort in doing so.
45. Take a photograph of the sky/the sun in every place (to show commonalities)
46. every day take a photo looking straight up.
47. Visit a school in each place and record your experience.
48. Take a cooking class in traditional cooking! (provide useful websites - http://www.realadventures.com/)
49. Take a sporting challenge that is specific to the place - eg hiking in austrian mountains, kayaking in croatian seas, biking in the netherlands etc.
50. Stay with a host local family/as a lodger etc instead of in a hostel (suggested websites, http://www.welcometraveller.com/, http://www.couchsurfing.com/, http://www.craigslist.com/)
51. Make a point out of attempting the native language, use english only where necessary, record the reactions.
52. Go to as many local festivals, religious services, parades, local villages, art and music events as possible. Try to discover how important they are to a culture - use the web but also local papers and flyers, and ASK people.
53. Visit a local food/antiques/flea market. Speak to the people there and try to find out about the place.
Friday 22 February 2008
Tuesday 19 February 2008
More Tasks
28. Plan your day around a few tasks, then spend the entire day without a map.
29. Be aware of your 'carbon footprint' whilst travelling - you should try to counteract all flights and car journeys with an act of 'greeness' - plant a tree, only use public transport for the equivalent time afterwards. Whilst traveling, try to use as much public transport as possible.
30. Find types of places you want to go to before hand - e.g. bookshops, galleries, coffee shops etc., then visit them and make a trail. e.g. 'My Bookshop Trail' (can be a list/route on a map/pinpoints etc.)
31. Go to a famous building/monumnet/bridge etc., line your camera up as if to take a picture of what's in front of you, then walk straight forward and take a picture as close in as you can (but in focus). Name the picture by the name of the famous structure.
32. Set out all of the things you want to take with you. Divide them into necessary and luxury items (be honest!) then only allow yourself 3 luxury items for the whole of you trip - these could be make up, a hair dryer, certain clothes, etc.
33. At the end of the trip or when you leave a place, choose ONE picture that you feel represents each day/place the best. Then put them together to see a visual representation of your whole trip.
34. Take a picture in every place you visit of the following things:
a house/flats, a church/cathedral, a monument, traffic lights/walk signs, a taxi/bus/train/car, the outside of a traditional restaurant, a traditional food dish, road signs/street names, a street, graffitti, trees, people - a man, a woman, a child, standout fashion/clothes, a cup of coffee or other hot drink, other preferred drink, adverts - major/flyers/posters etc, yourself - full body shot and head-shoulders shot.
35. If your trip is mainly to a city/a tou of cities, try to branch out of them and visit smaller towns, beaches or mountains, and vice versa.
36. Get on any bus/train/tram, local or larger, then get off at the 3rd or 9th stop, or the end of the line and see what you find.
37. After leaving a place or even while you're there, write down your 'Top 5' favourite things about it - they could be anything - a moment, a smell, a piece of food, something someone said to you etc, don't just think about phyisical places.
38. Try to notice how many people/who notices you as a tourist, not at all, or mistakes you for a natve, then write about these instances.
29. Be aware of your 'carbon footprint' whilst travelling - you should try to counteract all flights and car journeys with an act of 'greeness' - plant a tree, only use public transport for the equivalent time afterwards. Whilst traveling, try to use as much public transport as possible.
30. Find types of places you want to go to before hand - e.g. bookshops, galleries, coffee shops etc., then visit them and make a trail. e.g. 'My Bookshop Trail' (can be a list/route on a map/pinpoints etc.)
31. Go to a famous building/monumnet/bridge etc., line your camera up as if to take a picture of what's in front of you, then walk straight forward and take a picture as close in as you can (but in focus). Name the picture by the name of the famous structure.
32. Set out all of the things you want to take with you. Divide them into necessary and luxury items (be honest!) then only allow yourself 3 luxury items for the whole of you trip - these could be make up, a hair dryer, certain clothes, etc.
33. At the end of the trip or when you leave a place, choose ONE picture that you feel represents each day/place the best. Then put them together to see a visual representation of your whole trip.
34. Take a picture in every place you visit of the following things:
a house/flats, a church/cathedral, a monument, traffic lights/walk signs, a taxi/bus/train/car, the outside of a traditional restaurant, a traditional food dish, road signs/street names, a street, graffitti, trees, people - a man, a woman, a child, standout fashion/clothes, a cup of coffee or other hot drink, other preferred drink, adverts - major/flyers/posters etc, yourself - full body shot and head-shoulders shot.
35. If your trip is mainly to a city/a tou of cities, try to branch out of them and visit smaller towns, beaches or mountains, and vice versa.
36. Get on any bus/train/tram, local or larger, then get off at the 3rd or 9th stop, or the end of the line and see what you find.
37. After leaving a place or even while you're there, write down your 'Top 5' favourite things about it - they could be anything - a moment, a smell, a piece of food, something someone said to you etc, don't just think about phyisical places.
38. Try to notice how many people/who notices you as a tourist, not at all, or mistakes you for a natve, then write about these instances.
Sunday 17 February 2008
Testing Out Existing Tasks
To get more of an audience's perspective (before I go travelling), I decided to do a few assignments from similar publications/projects. The first ones are from Learning to Love You More, but i'll also be looking at 365 Ways to Change the World, Lose Weight! Get Laid! Find God!, This Diary Will Change Your Life etc. I find these tasks more self reflective, or simply just for enjoyment's sake - especially as part of a massively self-motivated project, it is sometimes nice to be told what to do! I want mine to be simple to do, but for myself and others to realise the connotations of them in relation to how we experience culture.
Assignment #9: Draw a Constellation from Someones Freckles "Lindsay's Arm Constellation - Aquila"
Assignment #28: Edit a Photo Album Page
More soon...
Assignment #9: Draw a Constellation from Someones Freckles "Lindsay's Arm Constellation - Aquila"
Assignment #28: Edit a Photo Album Page
Assignment #33: Braid Someone's Hair
Assignment #55: Photograph a Significant Outfit "What I Wore When I Played Guitar to 2000 People"
More soon...
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