In the lexicon of the Situationist movement, a drift (or more properly, dérive) is an impromptu walk that attempts to confound the established pathways and instructions designed for pedestrians.
Drifters follow their own senses. They create arbitrary instructions in order to see their world anew and in a way not prescribed by the pedestrian rule-book for navigating their surroundings. Why, for example, would one use a map of Winnipeg to navigate that city? Why not overlay a map of Paris to traverse Winnipeg’s streets and lanes and see the city from a different perspective?
Tokyo looks very anarchical to us western tourists. It is our first time here, in this unfamiliar place with its strikingly different cultural values. No maps of Tokyo or Paris needed here. Just a willingness to get lost. With little time to explore this vast city and a need to pack in a much sensory overload as possible, we set out on our adventure, happy to be swept away in the tsunami of Tokyo life.
What follows is a visual diary of Gail and David’s drift through Tokyo.
Lovely record of drifting, David.