Response 9

Response to Theory of the Derive

Questions:

1. What is meant by the statement “men can see nothing around them that is not their own image”?
2. Do city planners and other architects design with derives in mind?
3. Other than weather, what are some outside forces that may act upon a derive?

Response to Question 1:

“Men can see nothing around them that is not their own image.” This suggests that people, in general, are blind to anything that does not fit their image. It implies that we are narrowminded. Furthermore, it implies that we are extremely self-centered and somewhat arrogant. With this arrogance comes ignorance of things around us. This statement relates to Perec’s ideas on space.

In saying that we see nothing around us that is not our own image, Marx points out that there is a lot of information out there that we simply take for granted. We follow our same, tired, accustomed paths day in and day out and generally do not deviate. We may take an occasional detour to explore something new, yet the things we choose to explore most likely fit into our mold.

We tend to ignore, maybe not intentionally, the opportunities and sights surrounding us everyday. For example, let’s say you are a fashion designer and the majority of your hobbies involve fashion. It is safe to assume that the majority of the tasks you undertake revolve around fashion. In addition, I’d be willing to bet that the extra curricular activities you invest time in relate somehow to your passion for designing. You are unlikely to frequent a museum exhibiting dinosaur bones, even if that museum is located 5 minutes from your home (unless, of course, you have a hidden passion for anthropology). The point is, we only invest time in or pay attention to things that grab our attention or interest us personally. We rarely take time to examine and explore our entire environments.

Perec makes this point in his book “Species of Space.” We tend to allow things to blend into the background and disappear unless we need them or have use for them. From the objects on our desks to the vast array of information presented to us through different media each day, we overlook and miss out on things we never knew existed because we are too caught up in our own intentions.