Lights Out For The Territory, 2013
This was taken on a train bound for Charing Cross, London, UK.
Lights Out For The Territory is a volume of essays by Iain Sinclair, with illustrations by Marc Atkins. It was published in 1997.
The book is structured around 9 walks through London and was published at a time when psychogeography was a new buzz-word. On his travels he discovers a maze of symbols, ancient and modern and pieces together a coherent, occultist new version of the capital.
Here’s what it says on the back cover: “Iain Sinclair walks the streets of London compulsively, and reads the hidden language of the city like no other writer… [the book] walks the reader into a deranged remapping of London, and Sinclair’s strange connections between places and people take on an integrity of their own. London is scoured in acid humour.”
And here’s the first paragraph:
The notion was to cut a crude V into the sprawl of the city, to vandalise dormant energies by an act of ambulant signmaking. To walk out from Hackney to Greenwich Hill, and back along the river Lea to Chingford Mount, recording and retrieving the messages on walls, lampposts, door jambs: the spites and spasms of an increasingly deranged populace…
Steady on!
In our house, this book can be found: dining room, right-hand bookshelves, third shelf down.
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Thanks to the usual suspects (John, Deanne and Terry) for title shenanigans and Richard at CK Ponderings for being a super-cool collaborator. Our latest collaboration can be found on Richard’s blog.
I like this picture because I am jealous- I can never sleep in public!!
I never used to be able to but, like my dad, I can pretty much sleep standing up now.
I am oddly cheered whenever I see people sleeping on public transit. Something about they feel safe.
Yes, it’s quite comforting isn’t it? I do it a lot more than I used to:)
That’s a wonderful on, Richard! Have a great weekend!
Thanks so much, MJ! You too!
Really nice image – the benefits of commuting! Sounds like a great book too – yet another to add to my list! 😀
Thanks very much, Richard! 🙂 Yes, it’s a very interesting read – he’s a pretty good poet too.
I like this a lot, Richard. I find it gentle and intimate.
Great, I’m really glad you like it, Ashley. That was kind of what I was going for.
nice pairing of picture and statement. I like the V in his hand – the spookiness of the whole thing
Thanks very much, Carla. I love it when the text and image work together – glad to know you think it worked this time!
Bundled against the possibilities.
Yes, indeed. It helps to be warm.
Solitude in a crowd.
Yes, indeed – there are a few people who chat on the train, but not many. I’ve never seen this man before.
Hace poco he puesto una toma de otro hombre dormido, me parece increíble de como pueden dormir, yo soy incapaz!!
Yes, I used to be like that too – now I can sleep anywhere at any time 🙂
I have tried to read this book several times, but never got past the first few pages. Maybe I’ll try again!
It’s kind of odd – unlike anything else I’ve read, but worth persevering if you’re interested in an occultist spin on London’s history. He’s a bit of a Marmite writer though, for definite – Nikki can’t stand his books. Rodinsky’s Room is a good one – he splits duties with Rachel Lichtenstein, so the style’s not so overwhelming.
I have read Rodinsky’s room and loved it. Just never got on with Sinclair. It’s interesting your wife (partner?) doesn’t like him either I think his style is very alienating.
Yes, that’s spot-on – his style’s very alienating. And when I think of the negative aspects of LOFTT there are a few – it’s willfully obscure, relies heavily on coincidence and comes across like a communique from a club for “bad boys”. I parodied the book in a performance piece where I got Nikki to shine a torch on my profile so that it cast a shadow of my nose onto a map of the city. She drew round the shadow and the next day I literally followed my nose around London (coincidentally (not) bumping into interesting people along the way).
I might give Sinclair a go if I find a used copy. Like the concept anyhow
He’s a very interesting writer, but his prose style can be a bit hard-going. Let me know what you think if you do read it.
HOw many times have I seen similar scenes? How many times have I been the one doing that? I hope no one took my photo, haha. Great moment captured Richard.
Ha, me too! I used to regularly fall asleep on the last train home – probably not a pretty sight 🙂 Thanks very much, Leanne.
We’ve all been there. Well I definitely have on my daily commute. Great candid shot.
Yep! Every time I try to tackle the history of science this happens. Thanks very much.