Multisensory embodiments of the city

By Max Tscheltzoff

Today’s walk brought together many different aspects which are important to take into account when navigating through the city’s social landscape. The extensive dimensions of mindfulness came to fruition as we merged contextual and informative aspects of the space with that of our personal multisensory experiences. I felt grounded by the interaction which took place between the external built and natural environments and my own internal perspective mediated by my senses. Mediating our focus between details (sounds of water, traffic, or sights of plants and bees) and wider historical and cultural contexts, broadened our perspectives by emphasising our position in the space. This included raising questions, such as: how was the city developed? Who is the built environment for? Who does it exclude? Which policies influenced the structure of the space? And what impact does this have on various social inequalities or health disparities? Associating certain sounds or smells with certain demographics, for example, put into perspective the many inequalities or social processes which occur in London city. Places where homelessness is apparent tend to be busier and smellier, whereas gentrified spaces are quieter, cleaner and smell fresh and flowery. Mindfully navigating through such contrasting spaces raised many questions about social and political structures and how they come together in constructing different personal experiences. I believe different participants will have different walking embodied experiences which depend on their cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and abilities, etc. This is an important point to keep in mind, as the flexibility of walking tours encourages individuals to engage in different ways, and sharing experiences promotes a sense of community which can bring together perspectives in divided spaces.

Max Tscheltzoff, an Anthropology student at UCL, wrote this blog post. Max is one of the Walk Leaders of the Mindful Walking Project and will guide some of the walks in July and August.