Prelude to The Photograph as a Nocturnal Picaresque by AlexBlackthorn

Prelude to

The Photograph as a Nocturnal Picaresque

Lisa Richards

Contents

1 Essay 9 Photographs 51 Glossary 55 Index of Photographs 57 Annotated Bibliography

“Palpitating mass”1 If a book could have a punctum such as an image can, this would be it. Matthew Beaumont’s visual imagery in Nightwalking: a Nocturnal History of London2 reads in the same way as you could read an image, and the punctum as conceptualised by Roland Barthes in Camera Lucida3 appears almost immediately and intrusively. “There are alleys and street corners and shop entrances where the darkness appears to collect in a solid, faintly palpitating mass”4 Whilst almost certainly not the most eloquent line in the book, it conjures particular imagery and sense of atmosphere which is unusually uncanny and unlike any other in the book. 1 2 3 4

Beaumont, M. (2016) p.1 Beaumont, M. (2016) Barthes, R. (1983) pp.26-27 Beaumont, M. (2016) p.1

Despite it’s early appearance in the book and the many other uses of visual imagery later in the book, this line exemplifies the entire atmosphere of the night. If “palpitating mass”5could be the literally equivalent of the punctum then the studium would surely be the context; the time of day and activity. Barthes defines studium as “a kind of education (civility, politeness) that allows discovery of the operator”6 or for lack of a better phrase, a defining attribute. In literary terms, this could be an associated pretence, or even the foreword or prologue etc. In this instance it is the use of the words Night and Walking, or reference to which seems to be the defining elements in both the book and chapter titles; ‘Night Walking’, ‘A Nocturnal History of London’, ‘Crime and the Common Nightwalker’, ‘Affairs That Walk after Midnight’, ‘The Nocturnal Picaresque’, ‘Grub Street at Night’, ‘Midnight Rambles’, ‘The Nocturnal Labyrinth’ and so on. The problem with labelling such an activity is that there will be obvious variants to the activity, and then in such a case does this activity still conform to the title? 5 6

Beaumont, M. (2016) p.1 Barthes, R. (1983) p.28 1

Is there a difference between a flâneur and a night walker? Or noctivagant? At what point does Robinsonism come into play? Is it the level of which you observe or the depth of your thoughts what defines such titles, or simply the act itself? There are various different ways of categorizing what is at its core a combination of psychogeography, nocturnal walking, and an element of romantic surrealism. Patrick Keiller in The Possibility of Life’s Survival on the Planet7 theorises in reference to Henri Lefebvre’s Conceptual Triad8 that, “While everyday activities such as looking out of the window, or walking in the street, might be construed as spatial practice, and the designers of a building, or a new city, might be engaged in producing representations of space, if one seeks, in some imaginative way, such as writing, making images, or making films, to change and appropriate space, one is dealing with representational space”9 If walking in the street can achieve spatial practice and representational space can be achieved through means of photography, the use

of photography could therefore transform spatial practice into representational space. In the same sense, the act of night walking and committing of psychogeography could also be transformed from spatial practice to representational space. If we are looking at books as photographs, and perhaps even if we are not, it is the writer and the photographer who is experiencing a sort of spatial practice but who is transforming such an experience into representational space, through which is “directly lived through its associated images and symbols”10. The photograph has a duty, or at least an ability, to depict a reality, to represent spatial practice but in itself is not able to achieve spatial practice, only representational space. On the contrary, Doreen Massey in Spatial Divisions of Labour11 prefers to conceptualise space more complexly, and as non-conforming to Lefebvre’s conceptual triad. Moreover, she continues this theory in For Space12 in which she describes the three attributes commonly associated with the division of space. “Space is the product of interrelations; thus we must recognize space ‘as constituted through

7 8 9

10 11 12

Keiller, P. (2012) Lefebvre, H. (1991) Keiller, P. (2012) p. 16

Lefebvre, H. (1991) pp.38-39 Massey, D. (1995) Massey, D. (2005) 2

interactions, from the immensity of the global to the intimately tiny’[13]. Space is the sphere of the possibility of the existence of multiplicity; that is space ‘as the sphere in which distinct trajectories coexist; as the sphere therefore of coexisting heterogeneity’[14]. Space is always under construction; ‘it is always in the process of being made. It is never finished; never closed’[15]” 16 It is that last categorization of space which allows what Lefebvre or Keiller may define as representational space to be otherwise conceived as spatial practice or representations of space, or in fact not be constricted to such categorizations. This is not to say that Massey is opposed to the categorisation of space, but rather that her categorizations of space are both vaster and more susceptible to change. Given this, if we are looking at night walking and the documenting of such as spatial practice transformed into representational space, then we should also be questioning the way we think about space and perhaps whether a photograph can achieve spatial practice. The representation and way we think of 13 14 15 16

Massey, D. (2005) p.9 Massey, D. (2005) p.9 Massey, D. (2005) p.9 Anderson, B. (2008) p.228

space correlates to the way in which we interact with the land, and thus conduct ourselves. The idea of psychogeography presents the concept of an internal, almost inborn, relationship between the psychogeographer, noctivagent, flâneur et al. and the landscape. Whilst the flâneur is perceived to be more voyeuristic and the psychogeographer to have a stronger connection to the place, the noctivagent or night walker to have more of a criminal or suspicious intent yet all to have the capacity of higher thought, it is the land which unifies them and the appreciation of the space which categorizes them. However, the traits of each are not exclusive, or even true, for each person identifying themselves as such. For example, a noctivagent does not need to have criminal intent to be perceived as having it, but the act of walking at night nevertheless draws these associations. Of course, the photographic representations of the night by default are also representing space and the act itself whether that act is defined by the title of night walking or any other. It is by these representations that the viewer of the photograph is able to perceive it, and this presents is a representation of reality. It is at this point that the question arises, does 3

experiencing a photographing provide an accurate perception of what is depicted, or could it do so? “Little by little, the Londoner comes to forget that his London is built upon real earth: he forgets that under the pavements there are hills, forgotten water courses, springs, and marshlands”17. It has been noted somewhat poetically by Beaumont that by night, the streets are different. Without the presence of people, the distractions and business of the day, it is by night that the city is transformed. He writes; “The solitary pedestrian’s feet begin to recall the ‘real earth’. In the abstracted, monochromatic conditions of the night time which partially obliterate the teeming, multi-coloured visual details that characterize everyday life, it momentarily becomes apparent that a sloping road, for example, secretly curves over the sleeping form of a hill and tracks the course of an underground stream. The city is at its most earthly and unearthly at night.”18 It is these things which are most noticeable by night which tend to be the focus of the night walker, and thus the photographer. It is in

attempting to document this scene in which realism has the potential to be lost. As well as this, there is a challenge in depicting atmosphere which can be better described by authors than depicted in imagery. There is of course what Beaumont alludes to here both a calming silence of the night in which comfort can be taken, and an uncanny stillness of the night which has the potential to be disrupted, and a paranoia concerning the cover of darkness. Whilst Beaumont writes somewhat factually about the night and history of such activities, Charles Dickens’ Night Walks19 rather recounts his various excursions, in quite a similar manner to Patrick Keiller. Keiller’s work, though vastly different from Dickens, shares some important themes particularly regarding the real and uncanny. Though Dickens is more autobiographical in his writing style and Keiller uses a fictional character to channel his story telling through, both writers are recalling similar experiences with strong connections to psychogeography. The focus of both authors in these instances regards the act of walking and observing in an almost romanticised sort of way,

17 18

Ford, F. M. (1905) p.102 Beaumont, M. (2012) p.2

Dickens, C. (2010, 4th edn) 4

although of course both writers are inclusive of interruptions to the excursions, something that is seldom found in other writings. It is these interruptions and intrusions, which turn the romantically surreal mode of storytelling into a more sinister sense of uncanniness. It is the demonstration of such ideas that sets Dickens and Keiller apart. Whereas Dickens relies on story telling alone to communicate atmosphere, Keiller uses the medium of film and photography to the same end. Keillerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is mostly film, with books to accompany the films. However, the use of narration throughout the films and the styles in which they are shot are very much more indicative of photography than traditional film. It is by this narration that the films are so easily translated into books, and the moving image is so easily represented by photography. The demonstrations here of psychogeography are just as expressive as the tales Dickens tells about in Night Walks20, however with the use of visual aids it allows the writings or narrations to be much more allusive. Referring back to these interruptions to the act of psychogeography, Dickens includes these in 20

Dickens, C. (2010, 4th edn)

the form of an unpleasant story, for example he recounts a memory from his childhood in which he gets lost in the city, spends his last penny on a sausage which is then taken by a dog which he has temporarily adopted as his own and given a name, only to never be seen again after the incident.21 By including this, among other stories, rather than solely describing his more pleasant journeys, he introduces and reminds the reader of a reality often lost or forgotten when experiencing, even second hand, the sensation of night walking. In the same sense, Keiller during his films presents the protagonist with some menial and some rather heavy issues to ponder along the way. As well as this, he also experiences some psychical yet still elusive issues, such as concluding one film by indicating Robinson is incarcerated.22 In the same sense, when documenting the night through photography it is important to interrupt the stillness and romantic surrealism of the night, which can be done in a variety of ways. The most obvious is to interrupt the shooting style or order of narrative sequence. The wandering that Robinson is supposed to 21 22

Dickens, C. (2010, 4th edn) p.18 Keiller, P. Robinson in Space (1997) 5

be experiencing in the films is always presented somewhat factually, whilst the pretence all along is that this character may not exist and even if he had, we have no real way of knowing what he had experienced. “A few years ago, while dismantling a derelict caravan in the corner of a field, a recycling worker found a box containing 19 film canisters and a notebook. Researchers have arranged some of this material as a film, narrated by their institutions co-founder, with the title Robinson in Ruins”23 Here Keiller sets the pretence that the film you are about to see is shot by some kind of elusive person, documentarian, psychogeographer, and throughout the film you begin understand the type of person who is shooting it, however it is not true, as Robinson is not real, but merely a medium for which to tell stories through. Already here the question of realism is brought about. Through Robinson’s wanderings, it becomes apparent that his musings are drawn on experience and more evidently so, linked to psychogeographic roots. Keiller writes on the subject that “The journey evolved in an exploratory manner, so that a camera subject 23

Keiller, P. Robinson in Ruins (2010)

was often determined by a chance encounter, sometimes only after having visited its predecessor. After ten months, the camera had mapped out an approximately elliptical, anticlockwise progress.”24 Keiller states here that his camera subjects were often determined by chance encounters, elements in the landscape which stood out to him as a self-proclaimed flâneur. Whilst indicative of psychogeography, it is also possible that these elements could also represent punctum. If Barthes25 experiences punctum through photographs and Beaumont26 can depict it in words, then it is possible that Keiller has experienced punctum through the spatial practice of psychogeographic walking. However, to say that punctum exists within Keiller’s work would not be accurate, as this would then be a deliberate representation of space whereas the punctum is always accidental, always noticed after its creation. This is not punctum within Keiller’s work but a punctum in the landscape, experienced first-hand by Keiller and then transformed into film with Keiller’s attempts 24 25 26

Keiller, P. (2012) P.10 Barthes, R. (1983) pp.26-27 Beaumont, M. (2016) 6

to express what he has experienced through the medium of film. In a similar manner the punctum of a photograph is not deliberate, but it is possible that the photographer was attempting to recreate the feeling of a punctum he had previously experienced. In doing so, a new punctum may be created, but punctum is after all subjective. In the describing of an experience of spatial practice, Beaumont creates what can only be described as a literary punctum, with the use of the words “Palpitating Mass”27. Psychogeography by night is much more transcendent than by day, there are different atmospheres and a certain uncanniness about the night, and the sense of connection to place takes a different form to by day. In photographing the night we are attempting to depict both a punctum which is solely and seldom experienced and the spatial practice of the night walk, however in doing so an entire realm of representational space is created, “that which the imagination seeks to appropriate and change”28.

27 28

Beaumont, M. (2016) p.1 Lefebvre, H (1991) 7

Glossary

Conceptual Triad: Henri Lefebvre’s Conceptual Triad as

mentioned in The Production of Space (1991) divides space into three categories: spatial practice, representational space, and representations of space. [See: spatial practice, representational space, and representations of space]

Flâneur: Derived from the French word ‘flâner’ meaning the saunter or lounge. Flâneur typically refers to a male of higher class who walks around lost in the act of observation.

Houseless: A term used by Charles Dickens in Night Walks

(2010 4th edn) referring to a person who somewhat defiantly abandons their homes in preference to the streets. A houseless person is not necessarily a homeless person, although some are. Dickens refers to himself as houseless, choosing not to sleep at night in favour of walking at night.

Night walker: A night walker is a person who is prone to

walking about at night for a variety of reasons. Night walking traditionally referred to sleep walkers and prostitutes, those who walk by night through means of necessity. In more contemporary use to night walk could also refer to what Matthew Beaumont (2016) describes as ‘noctivagent’ or what Dickens (2010 4th edn) refers to as ‘houseless’. [See: noctivagent, houseless.]

Noctivagent: A noctivagent is a role coined by Matthew

Beaumont in Nightwalking (2016) to refer to somebody who walks by night and is perceived as suspicious, and does so in defiance of law. A noctivagent is not homeless, or houseless, but walks by night as a form of leisure. As described in Will Self ’s introduction to Beaumont’s Nightwalking (2016), a noctivagent is “One who walks by night either because he is impoverish, or possibly because he has criminal intent.”

Psychogeography: Psychogeography refers to the study of the influence of geographical environment on the mind or on behaviour, or the geographical environment of a particular location, typically a city, considered with regard to its influence on the mind or on behaviour. In this instance it refers to the influence of the urban night landscape on the mind and behaviour of nightwalkers, noctivagents et al. [See: nightwalker, noctivagent] Punctum: Deriving from its Latin origin meaning a small distinct point, Roland Barthes in Camera Lucida (1983) uses the term Punctum to mean an “element which rises from the scene” and “that accident which pricks, bruises me.” [See: Studium] Representations of Space: One division of space as

categorized on Henri Lefebvre’s Conceptual Triad. Meaning the 51

conceived space, this is the space which is experienced through photographs, documents, or otherwise second hand. [See: Conceptual Triad]

Representational Space: One division of space as

categorized on Henri Lefebvre’s Conceptual Triad. Meaning the lived space, “The passively experienced space, which the imagination seeks to change and appropriate” Lefebvre, H (1991). This is up for interpretation, though here means the space which is most influenced by symbols and personal connections. [See: Conceptual Triad]

practice would be the outcome of deciding on a particular route. [See: Conceptual Triad]

Studium: Derived from early 17th century Latin Studium means to study, Roland Barthes in Camera Lucida (1983) refers to studium as “A kind of education (civility, politeness) that allows discovery of the operator” Studium is the thing about the photograph which draws attention, a generalized interest, opposed to the punctum. [See: Punctum]

Robinsonism: Robinsonism refers to Patrick Keiller’s

character, Robinson, in London (1994), Robinson in Space (1997), Robinson in Ruins (2010), and The Possibility of Life’s Survival on the Planet (2012). Robinson is a fictional character used as a device for narration, the character is very observant and somewhat of a flâneur, but more so his character demonstrates the act of psychogeography. Robinsonism simply refers to the way in which Robinson acts, which is that of an avid psychogeographer. [See: Flâneur, Psychogeography]

Spatial Practice: One division of space as categorized on Henri Lefebvre’s Conceptual Triad. Meaning the space which is perceived, this is how space is used and the outcome of decisions. Spatial practice is about negotiations between your logical decision making and convenience. For example, spatial 52

Index of Photographs

Richards, L. 2017. Approach. Unpublished photograph. p.9

Richards, L. 2017. Scarecrow. Unpublished photograph. p.11

Richards, L. 2017. Awake. Unpublished photograph. p.13

Richards, L. 2017. Daybreak. Unpublished photograph. p.15

Richards, L. 2017. Autopia. Unpublished photograph. p.17

Richards, L. 2017. Desolate. Unpublished photograph. p.19

Richards, L. 2017. Castle. Unpublished photograph. p.21

Richards, L. 2017. Space for hire. Unpublished photograph. p.23

Richards, L. 2017. Void. Unpublished photograph. p.25

Richards, L. 2017. Glow. Unpublished photograph. p.27

Richards, L. 2017. Interruptions. Unpublished photograph. p.29

Richards, L. 2017. Incandescent. Unpublished photograph. p.31

Richards, L. 2017. House Antlers. Unpublished photograph. p.33

Richards, L. 2017. Disguise. Unpublished photograph. p.35

Richards, L. 2017. Poles. Unpublished photograph. p.37

Richards, L. 2017. Bin day. Unpublished photograph. p.39

Richards, L. 2017. Interlude. Unpublished photograph. p.41

Richards, L. 2017. Illuminate. Unpublished photograph. p.43

Richards, L. 2017. Rise. Unpublished photograph. p.45

Richards, L. 2017. Temporary. Unpublished photograph. p.47

Annotated Bibliography

Anderson, B. (2008) For Space (2005): Doreen Massey in Key Texts in Human Geography. New York: Sage Publications Ltd. p.228

Beaumont, M. (2015) Stumbling in the dark: Ray Bradbury’s Pedestrian and the politics of the night. Critical Quarterly, 57: 71–88. doi: 10.1111/criq.12232.

Barnes, M., Best, K. (2006) Twilight: Photography in the Magic Hour. London: Merrell Publishers.

Beaumont, M. (2016) Nightwalking: A Nocturnal History of London. London: Verso Books.

In this book Anderson reviews and analyses Doreen Massey’s For Space (2005). Anderson’s summaries of Massey’s attributes of space fit in well with the style of this essay, and explain the concepts well. Overall Anderson’s views on Massey are explanatory and simple.

Martin Barnes and Kate Best present a collection of photographers who photograph during or around the twilight hour. Whilst not specifically in keeping with the time periods this book provides a vast array of night time photographers which is both informative and influential to the practice of photographing the night.

Barthes, R. (1983) Camera Lucida. London: Vintage Classics, pp. 25-28, 43-60.

Barthes presents the concept of punctum and studium which was useful for the introduction to this visual essay. The idea for using these terms came from looking at the concept of the real.

Beaumont reviews Bradbury’s The Pedestrian (1951), which was instrumental in providing a further understanding of the story and its connections with psychogeography and night walking as well as some historical context.

Beaumont’s Nightwalking was the most instrumental book to creating this essay. It provides a historically accurate whilst artistically influential overview of the idea of night walking. It goes in to depth on the subject and introduces a lot of other key authors and influences. The book also refers to psychogeography, flâneur, and other integral themes of this essay.

Bradbury, R. (1951) The Pedestrian. USA: The Fortnightly Publishing Company.

The Pedestrian is a short story in which a man proceeds to night walk in an authoritarian future, where humans are conditioned to stay indoors watching television and 57

machines patrol the streets ready to eliminate outcasts. This story is not unlike George Orwell’s 1984, however the focus on this story is the desire to walk at night and the criminalization of such events. Following further research this story has provided some idea of a historical approach to night walking, this story has led to other instrumental research on the topic of night walking.

however his descriptions do not dumb down the topic or simplify it too much. It is accessible yet insightful. It is however repetitive of the most well-known aspects of psychogeography and meant as an introduction to the subject only. This has been very useful in creating the visual essay however the amount of information that could be gained from it is limited.

Cave, S. (1998). Applying Psychology to the Environment. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp.18-91

Dickens, C. (2010) Night Walks. 4th edn. London: Penguin Books Ltd. Dickens recounts his various night walks and the things he experienced along the way, from wandering as a child to houselessness. Dickens’ book is extremely insightful and instrumental to the creation of this essay. His writing style is much more autobiographical than other writers on the topic of night walking, he also steers away from too much romanticism.

Whilst more academic than this essay probably called for, this book provides insight into environmental cognition, the way we think about space and environments, and how we behave with the environment in different settings. The chapters most useful were ‘Environmental Perception’, ‘The Physical Environment’, and ‘The Social Environment’. Because of the nature of this essay only key paragraphs were directly connected to my field of research, however the theories presented in this book helped inform parts of the essay.

Coverley, M. (2010) Psychogeography. Hertfordshire: Pocket Essentials. This book provides an overview and introduction of the theory of psychogeography. Coverley’s views on the topic are designed for the beginner, somebody who does not already know a great deal about the area,

Elkin, L. (2016) Flâneuse. London: Chatto and Windus. Flâneuse presents a modernist, feminist take on the Flâneur, simply meaning feminine stroller, idler, saunter, lounger et al. It is a term made up by the author. The book presents an overview of what is to be a female practicing the act of psychogeography and urban walking, particularly focusing on the cities Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, and Venice. This book is as much about culture as it is about walking.

Farley, P and Roberts, M.S. (2012) Edgelands: Journeys into England’s True Wilderness. London: Vintage Books.

This book looks at the edgelands, the area’s where urban turns to rural. This in depth approach connects to the idea of psychology and the environment, our connection to the land, and the way in which we interact with the land. This is a common theme in night walking and I find most of the concepts presented in this book are transferable to thinking about our connection with the night landscape.

Ford, F.M. (1905) The Soul of London. Chiswick Press. p.102

Used for the quote: “Little by little, the Londoner comes to forget that his London is built upon real earth: he forgets that under the pavements there are hills, forgotten water courses, springs, and marshlands”. The Soul of London focuses on urban walking and has strong connections with psychogeography, many of the points brought up can also be applied to the sensation of night walking.

Keiller, P. (1999) Robinson in Space. London: Reaktion Books Ltd. This book accompanies the film with the same title, Robinson in Space (1997) and features a lot of the same visual imagery and narration, however in the form of a

book the work is transformed. This is a good example of mixed mediums and the use of photographs with extended text. It also provides further insight into the idea of Robinsonism.

Keiller, P. (2012) The Possibility of Life’s Survival on the Planet. London: Tate Publishing. Following the film Robinson in Ruins (2010), this book explains the theory of Robinsonism and the narrative of Robinson in Ruins (2010). Whilst serving as a source of information, this book also acts as a sort of exemplary visual essay/ narrative landscape photo book.

Lefebvre, H. (1991) The Production of Space. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

This book presented Lefebvre’s conceptual triad which formed the basis of a theory regarding the role of photography on night walking and psychogeography. Through looking at Patrick Keiller’s The Possibility of Life’s Survival on the Planet (2012) conceptual triad came up which led to further research into the production of space.

London (1994) Directed by Patrick Keiller [DVD]. London: The British Film Institute.

London is the first film in the Robinson series by Patrick Keiller, in which a fictional character named Robinson ponders over the British landscape. The film has very 59

strong connections to psychogeography and urban walking, and has been very instrumental in theorising the real. This film sets the pretence for Robinson in Space (1997).

named Robinson is released from prison and wanders the British landscape after a considerable time period, set after the second film. This film demonstrated the act of psychogeography and questions the real.

Massey, D. (1995). Spatial Divisions of Labour: Social Structures and the Geography of Production. 2nd edn. London: Macmillan.

Robinson in Space (1997) Directed by Patrick Keiller [DVD]. London: Koninck. Saunders, G. (2011) Recording Britain. London: V&A Publishing.

In this book Massey begins to allude to the three defining attributes of space. This book was not as useful in creating this essay as Massey’s 2005 For Space, however was still able to shape it somewhat.

Massey, D. (2005) For Space. New York: Sage Publications Ltd.

For Space brought up the idea of there being attributes to defining space in opposition of Lefebvre’s conceptual triad, presenting a well-informed argument. The writing style of this book was too academic for this essay and simpler explanations in reviews of this book were more informative, however it still provided the foundation of the arguments made.

Robinson in Ruins. (2010) Directed by Patrick Keiller [DVD]. London: Koninck. Robinson in Ruins is the third film in the Robinson series by Patrick Keiller, in which a fictional character

Robinson in Space is the second film in the Robinson series by Patrick Keiller, in which a fictional character named Robinson strays from London and begins his urban walking elsewhere. The film has very strong connections to psychogeography and urban walking, and has been very instrumental in theorising the real along with the other films in this series. This film sets the pretence for Robinson in Ruins (2010).

Schles, K. (2015) Night Walk. Germany: Steidl.

This photo book simply documents night walks, the style of photography is comparable to photographers found in Barnes’ and Best’s Twilight (2006).

Schlör, J. (1998) Nights in the Big City. London: Reaktion Books.

This book looks at changes that occur in cities when day turns to night. This book was very specific to my field 60

of research and it provided a good starting point and contained terms which influenced my further research. This book is written well and is easy to understand, it provides quite a general view on quite a specific topic. As with Dickens and Ford, it is worth remembering the date it was written and considering the writings in comparison to contemporary literature.

Self, W. (2007) Psychogeography. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.

Self ’s views in Psychogeography provide a slightly different outlook than presented in Coverley’s book Psychogeography (2010) and it is interesting to compare the two books. This book has been heavily influential however not more so than Coverley’s take on the subject. Self presents a much more generalised and less well informed approach to the topic.

Sinclair, I. (1997) Lights Out for the Territory. London: Granta Books. Whilst originally one of my main sources of information regarding the research of this essay, Sinclair’s novel began to become too romanticised for the purposed of this essay and idealistic. This book made for a good point of reference but it’s accuracy is questionable. However, his use of language and dream like visual imagery has helped to influence the photographic element of this essay.

The Public Domain Review. (n.d). The Nightwalker and the Nocturnal Picaresque. Available at: http:// publicdomainreview.org/2015/06/03/the-nightwalkerand-the-nocturnal-picaresque/ (Accessed 14.01.17)

This was a very insightful review of Beaumont’s Nightwalking (2016) and analysis of the book in reference to other writers. This review also offered a lot of historical context and indicated to psychogeography in regards to night walking.

Tormey, J. (2012) Cities and Photography. London: Routledge.

Tormey writes about the connections between the city and the urban environments in which we inhabit, and photography. This was very important in enabling this essay to make the connection between photography and urban wandering, though not too specific on our connection with the land and night walking. This book was useful although rather general.