DUSTY DRIFTERS
INSPIRING YOU TO WALK OUTDOORS
Need motivation to walk? Want to explore like a kid again? Sign Up for the most creative, fun, online walking courses we’ve ever designed. We are wanderers, walkers, and dusty drifters.
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This course offers a deep dive into the nuanced art of walking at dusk, pushing the boundaries of traditional education by guiding students on immersive nocturnal journeys to explore the hidden narratives of the night. It emphasizes a departure from conventional learning, focusing on experiential engagement through walking, listening, and observing, thereby fostering a deep connection with the essence of a place. Students are encouraged to document their explorations, engage in night photography, and reflect on their experiences, illuminating the intricate relationship between light, shadow, architecture, and the sublime. This multifaceted approach cultivates a profound sensory engagement with the nocturnal world.
Downloadable Resources: Audio Tracks, Bibliography, Filmography, and Guides
Level: Beginner
Duration: 20 minutes or longer
Timeline: Repeatable / Daily / Weekly
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Delving into the profound stillness beneath the urban bustle, this course teaches students how to uncover hidden silences within the city through explorative walking. Drawing upon a rich tapestry of inspiration that includes the reflective teachings of Buddhism, the innovative silence in music by John Cage, Virginia Woolf's introspective urban wanderings, and Rachel Carson's attentive connection to nature. It challenges students to listen and find beauty in urban quietude, engaging deeply with the auditory facets of city life. The course structure facilitates a multi-sensory engagement, encouraging a transcendence beyond traditional sightseeing, enabled by immersion in the ambient sounds and silences that narrate the city's unseen stories. Through guided walks, reflective journaling, and silent observation, this course transforms walking into a meditative, inward journey.
Downloadable Resources: Audio Tracks, Bibliography, Filmography, and Guides
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 20 minutes or longer
Timeline: Repeatable / Daily / Weekly
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This course is a transformative journey designed to infuse mindfulness into your daily walks. This unique program offers a comprehensive study of walking meditation, teaching you to cultivate presence and awareness with each step. Delve into the philosophy and practice of mindful walking, inspired by the teachings of figures like Thich Nhat Hanh, and learn to transform an everyday activity into a profound meditation and pathway to inner peace. Through engaging lessons, practical exercises, and thoughtful reflections, you will learn to synchronize your breath with your movements, enhance your body awareness, and connect deeply with your surroundings. We provide the tools to transform any walk, whether through bustling city streets or tranquil parks, into a profound experience of serenity.
Downloadable Resources: Audio Tracks, Bibliography, Filmography, and Guides
Level: Advanced
Duration: 20 minutes or longer
Timeline: Repeatable / Daily / Weekly
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This distinctive course is designed to explore the intricate dance between urban landscapes and the human psyche. As students weave through city streets, they engage in a deeply personal exploration that challenges perceptions and invites a reimagining of the spaces we navigate daily. This course is not a theoretical endeavor but a voyage into the heart of urban environments, where every alleyway and street become a canvas for emotional and psychological discovery. Drawing inspiration from the Psychogeography movement and other artists' works, and through guided walks, reflective journaling, and creative documentation, students uncover the hidden layers of cities, learning to read the stories etched in concrete. This process deepens their understanding of psychogeography and fosters profound insights into their own emotional landscapes. By marrying the art of observation with the practice of introspection, students gain invaluable tools for personal growth.
Downloadable Resources: Audio Tracks, Bibliography, Filmography, and Guides
Level: Advanced
Duration: 20 minutes or longer
Timeline: Repeatable / Daily / Weekly
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Blending the act of walking with the creative expression of map-making, this course challenges students to discover the intricate relationship between physical movement and artistic documentation over a week-long journey. It encourages a reimagining of maps beyond their traditional roles as territorial ciphers, positioning them as personal narratives enriched by the walker's experiences. Through daily excursions, students are guided to keenly observe and capture the nuanced layers of their environment, employing a mix of artistic methods such as drawing, writing, capturing images, and collecting tangible items from nature or urban landscapes. These practices aim to transform walks into rich, narrative-driven maps that reflect the tangible and the immaterial phenomena of the places traversed.
Downloadable Resources: Audio Tracks, Bibliography, Filmography, and Guides
Level: Beginner
Duration: 20 minutes or longer
Timeline: Repeatable / Daily / Weekly
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Designed to unravel the intricate ways walking serves as a canvas for artistic exploration, this course traces the footsteps of pioneering artists like Hamish Fulton, Richard Long, Marina Abramović, and others. Delving into the historical and contemporary realms of walking as an art form, this course offers students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the study of varied artistic methodologies and conceptual frameworks. Students will gain invaluable insights into creating their thematic walks by closely examining how these artists navigate the interplay between movement, space, and expression. This practical approach enriches their understanding of walking as a profound artistic practice–it empowers them to weave their personal experiences and observations into their creative endeavors.
Downloadable Resources: Audio Tracks, Bibliography, Filmography, and Guides
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 20 minutes or longer
Timeline: Repeatable / Daily / Weekly
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In this course, students are invited to explore the intricate dynamics of modern urban life through the lens of the historically rich figures of the flâneur and flâneuse, blending 19th-century cultural insights with contemporary urban experiences. By examining the transformation of urban spaces, the role of technology in shaping public and private realms, and the evolving narratives of gender within the city, this course bridges literary analysis, cultural theory, and tangible engagement with the urban environment. Students critically engage with the ways in which digital landscapes and social changes impact the traditional act of urban wandering, encouraging them to undertake thematic explorations of the city.
Downloadable Resources: Audio Tracks, Bibliography, Filmography, and Guides
Level: Beginner
Duration: 20 minutes or longer
Timeline: Repeatable / Daily / Weekly
