The London Psychogeographical Association (LPA), sometimes referred to as the London Psychogeographical Committee, is an organisation devoted to
psychogeography
Psychogeography is the exploration of urban environments that emphasizes interpersonal connections to places and arbitrary routes. It was developed by members of the Letterist International and Situationist International, which were revolutionar ...
. The LPA is perhaps best understood in the context of
psychogeographical praxis.
London Psychogeographical Institute
The LPA was first mentioned in 1957 by the British artist
Ralph Rumney, as one of the organisers of the "First Exhibition of Psychogeography" in Brussels, which included his work. According to many accounts the group eventually merged into the
Situationist International
The Situationist International (SI) was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. It was prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution ...
. Rumney was in fact the only member of the 'Association'.
LPA East London Section
In the 1990s, the LPA was reinvoked as the LPA East London Section by
Fabian Tompsett, using the pseudonym Richard Essex, who published a series of newsletters and pamphlets under its name, as well as the writers grouped around the multiple user name
Luther Blissett
Luther Loide Blissett (born 1 February 1958) is a former professional association football, footballer and coach (sport), manager who played for the England national football team, England national team during the 1980s. Born in Jamaica, Bliss ...
, including
Stewart Home
Kevin Llewellyn Callan (born 24 March 1962), better known as Stewart Home, is an English artist, filmmaker, writer, pamphleteer, art historian, and activist. His novels include the non-narrative '' 69 Things to Do with a Dead Princess'' (2002 ...
. Activities of the ELS also included trips to destinations of psychogeographical interest and the organisation of
three sided football matches.
This version of the LPA has been described by the writer
Iain Sinclair, whose work is often described as
psychogeographical, as useful in "branding" that kind of practice.
In 1994 Barry Hugill wrote an article for ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' covering the LPA. He depicted their ideas as "so cranky that to mention
Mr Ackroyd's name in the same breath is to invite a writ." However he also states that "the psychogeographers fear that in 2000 there may be an attempt to perpetuate
patriarchy
Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...
through the
ritual murder of a top member of royalty."
The work of Luther Blissett, Stewart Home and other psychogeographical groups is said to involve the issuing of numerous leaflets and letters under a series of aliases, both personal and organisational, and the description of interactions, including collaborations and feuds, between both these and other, real people and groups (for example between Luther Blissett and the parapolitical researcher
Larry O'Hara).
Stewart Home: Feuds
/ref>
The last LPA Newsletter was issued around the year 2000.
See also
* Neoist Alliance
* Association of Autonomous Astronauts
* Class Wargames
References
{{reflist
External links
''The Great Conjunction: The Symbols of a College, the Death of a King and the Maze on the Hill''
( Unpopular Books, 1992) - a booklet authored jointly by the LPA and the Archaeogeodetic Association
''LPA Newsletter'' no. 1 - February 1993
Situationist International
Psychogeography