Fieldwork Week Two

    As they say, everything old is new again. Yesterday, introducing Fieldwork Saturday to the intrepid group that gathered on a rainy afternoon at AMZehnder Gallery, I introduced the walk we were about to take in relation to Psychogeography. I hadn’t previously made the connection, but unconsciously I think I’ve recreated a project I began in 2017 with the Provincetown Art Association and Museum — Exploring Psychogeography in Provincetown. I had to step away from that project when my mom entered the last stage of her life, and I always regretted that I never restarted it. That project explicitly referenced Psychogeography, an art movement from the mid-20th century. Fieldwork Saturdays is a less formal, more open in its intention. But the idea of seeing the familiar in new ways is at the heart of what I want to do this summer.       Because the Internet is the Internet, there’s still a blog with a few posts from that earlier project, and I’ll quote myself as a way of introducing how Psychogeography is part of my art practice :   “The principles that inform Psychogeography have been part of my art practice for a long time. I’m somewhat obsessive about learning the history of places in which I live, and equally obsessive about sharing the stories I uncover. This usually results in being told that I’m an ‘expert.’ But I know that’s not true. Places reveal themselves over time, and we can never know a place comprehensively. There’s always more to discover. And, as the early Psychogeographers pointed out, we tend to believe that we ‘know’ a place from our habits and point of reference, quite often missing the extraordinary things that might be occurring a few blocks to our side.”   Something a few of us recognized yesterday was that we tend to know Wellfleet from our cars rather than as pedestrians. As a kid I rode those streets on a bicycle, which offered a more intimate view of the place. But the speed of a bike mediates intimacy differently than walking. Able to stop and start when something caught my eye, I found things that I’d never seen before, and by the time we returned to the gallery I was aware  I’d gathered a year’s worth of ideas for new paintings.    Next week, we’ll keep walking. And if the weather ever cooperates, maybe I’ll finally sit down somewhere and make a proper drawing.        I can’t resist a giant, novelty lobster.   …   Fieldwork Saturdays in Wellfleet   Organized by Pete Hocking & AMZehnder Gallery   This summer, we’re inviting creative people — visual artists, photographers, writers, and others — to join us for community fieldwork sessions in Wellfleet on Saturday afternoons from 2:30  – 5 PM. This is not a workshop and there will be no instructor. Spending time in a place, looking deeply, taking notes, and allowing the place to soak into memory allows one to bring meaningful experience into the studio — and to ultimately work more intuitively.  The sessions are also designed to strike up conversation and relationships among Outer Cape artists. You’re invited to look, to draw, to paint, to photograph, to take notes, to write — and especially to connect with other creative people in our incredible community. These sessions are free and you’re welcome to join us as your schedule permits. Come for one session or all sessions!    We’ll meet at AMZehnder Gallery at 25 Bank Street at 2:30 PM on Saturday and we’ll conclude the start of Gallery Night at 5 PM.    Questions? Contact phocking@gmail.com