Off the beaten track Click this link to see My Map on Google. Even better, take the walk.

I created a Google My Map to learn about locations of interest around where I live. I walk by music, homelessness, eagles, shipping freighters and weird plants every day and didn’t really “see” them. I decidedly to look more closely at the locations that caught my eye and researched them in a loose casual way. This is a great walking tour to take in the summer with a cup of (?) and end up at the infamous Billy Bishop Legion nearby to discuss a different way of looking at the world. This work is inspired by the Guy Debord and the Situationists’ method of “derive” (to drift) as a way of breaking out of the structures and systems that are dictated to us.

I also learned that the public is able to contribute sites of interest to google maps; however, an application period of a few weeks (or more) seems to apply. I applied to have the totem pole near the Maritime Museum included on google maps publicly and it is now included. Most of the entries on google maps are businesses or tourist attractions. I felt this first nations totem was important to include and to consider the history and controversy it bears (read more in my map).