Tourist in Your Own City

CHECK THE BOOK HERE  (or read more here under)

Tourist in your own city is the title for projects inspired by the concept of tourism. More below.

Participatory book project: ongoing. An invitation to join the brainstorming in the frame of 'Tourist in your own city'. A search for games and techniques to trigger an unprejudiced view of the places we live in, a new experience of a very familiar environment.  You can send your ideas or ask me to lend you the book for your event.

The aim is to develop (artistic) practices for the integration of outside perspectives in one's behavior, attitude and communication.

This book is traveling since 2008 and collected contributions for example at the Micronomics Festival 2008 in Brussels, HOTELbich Last Eve 2009 in Brussels, Borealis Music Festival 2010 in Bergen/No, Human Cities Festival 2012 in Brussels, but also during personal encounters, etc...


Hanging around spots (here some spots in the Midi area Brussels): the spectator is asked to join us to hang out for some minutes in a place, which appears to be a common hanging around-spot in the neighborhood around the festival.

The title Tourist in your own city twas introduced for the first time at the Micronomics festival in 2008, Brussels, organized by Citymin(e)d with the participatory book project and 'Hanging around spots', together with Varinia Canto Vila.

Tourist in Your Own City:

How would it be to not know your own city? Is it possible to integrate the outside perspective in one's behavior, attitude and communication? Beyond all travel agencies and tourist informations the tourist gaze embodies a very open minded point of view. One, who is there to get lost and by this discover what was not looked for.
 

'Tourist in your own city' stands for artistic concepts, exercises and street-performances, which will be developed site- and context-specific. It forms a framework for different audiences: inhabitants as well as visitors.

The inspiring image for this project is a tourist, who just stepped out of a station, having 5 hours to spent in a place s/he has never been before. And: s/he doesn't know the way!

If the tourist is lucky, organized tourism will not predetermine her/his way, but the freedom of non-directedness will lead instead. Besides any functional or biographic relations, the urban space can be experienced as a continuous addition, with foreseen and not foreseen results and by this as changeable.

Concerning the visitors, it searches for artistic alternatives to common tourist programs. The time seems to be good, since cities are very busy working on their 'images'. A good moment to intervene and use the enormous potential of visitors and passengers.