Walking, making, thinking

As a writer deeply interested in sense of place, and in the effects of environment upon the psychology and self-identity of characters in my work, I have come to recognise the relationship between key areas of my creative practice and theories of, and approaches in, psychogeography. Employing my working definition of psychogeography – ‘looking at place and our relationship to it’ as ‘a two-way thing’ (‘The Walking Dead’ 351) – this thesis articulates the creation of my own walking methods and their role in my practice research and outputs.

The publications submitted have been produced at various stages in the evolution of my creative writing-walking practice, demonstrating a research trajectory. The publications and related practice research projects range from creative experiment and conscious practice-as-research texts and events, to critical works which define, discuss and disseminate my methods, including their application to creative writing and wider subject areas.

In the following sections I outline the place of my research within the current field; situate relevant methodologies, including my own ambulant methods; offer an introduction to the research; and present the submitted publications within the context of practice research projects. I close by summarising the contribution the research presents to the field and its application to other disciplines.