Ivy Beaver

Get Lost - App Prototype - Not for Sale

Artist's Statement

Get Lost serves as a catalyst for new and unique adventures. Designed for children and families, this game consists of 25 directional prompts that will guide the user to take an unpredictable path. 25 activity prompts guide the user to stop and take in their surroundings or engage in small exercises. With the Get Lost app, the user can access all of the prompt cards and are able to create a psychogeographic map of their own. The app automatically maps the user’s path and allow users to take photos along the way.

Get Lost is heavily inspired by the concept of psychogeography, a term coined in 1955 by the Marxist theorist Guy Debord. It focuses on psychological experiences of a city and encourages inventive strategies for exploring cities. Psychogeographers used methods, such as using a map of one city while exploring a different one or simply wandering wherever their feet took them, in order to experience a city in an unconventional way. They encourage the act of becoming lost in a city through the act of wandering without a purpose. When walking with an agenda, people don’t absorb surroundings efficiently because they are more focused on getting to our end destination. Psychogeographers also created psychogeographic maps of their travels — maps of sights, smells, sounds, or emotions experienced on their journey.

Step off your beaten path and get lost.

Try the app here.

If you wish to purchase any of these pieces, please contact the gallery director, Jacqueline Nathan (jnathan@bgsu.edu.)