Desire Maps

Desire Maps is a participatory performance that invites audience members to redraw the journeys of their ancestors, step into their shoes and imagine a moment of choice – this way or that? If they could have taken a different route, where would they have gone? And where might they have ended up?

Author Robert Macfarlane calls desire paths ‘free-will ways’ – paths made over time by the wishes and feet of walkers, especially those paths that run contrary to design or planning. But not all journeys we make are ‘free-will paths’ – some choices to travel are forced upon us, or made by necessity rather than desire.

Desire Maps looks at the geographical journeys that brought us to where we are – the journeys that created us – and asks the audience to imagine a different reality for their ancestors. A gift to the past, from the future, and an opportunity to create a desire map for those that made us who we are.

One of the seeds inspiring the development of Desire Maps was a story-game called Crossed Paths, in which two players are invited to imagine a moment in alternate history about the crossing of paths between the grandparents (or other caring elders). Play Crossed Paths here. The research and development for Desire Maps also intersects strongly with our practice in exchange with researchers – including at UCL – exploring impacts of the climate crisis.

Are you interested in programming Desire Maps at your venue? Say hello at [email protected].