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Psychogeography can be broadly defined as the study of how physical surroundings affect mood and behavior. Explorers who wander the world as psychogeographers have various motivations — political, artistic, scientific, technological, philosophical, historical. There are those who engage in demographic research, social protest or the documentation of overlooked spaces. Others study patterns of movement and navigation by setting specific parameters for constrained walks. Audio/visual artists and writers who use the landscape as raw material gather objects, data and recordings, and often alter their cities by means of stickers, graffiti, performance or intervention. Some psychogeographers use GPS receivers to locate hidden caches or make drawings in the landscape. High-speed networks and wireless devices are also being used as psychogeographic tools. Areas of related activity include urban planning, cartography, gaming, virtual environments, the creation of mazes and labyrinths and urban code (tagging, warchalking, hobo signs). Finally, there are always those who stroll, drift and wander simply for the pleasure of turning the next corner...

Taking a cue from those working in generative/algorithmic psychogeography, Glowlab recently constructed a method with limited rules that generates diverse results. 'Shuffle' incorporates various sub-genres of psychogeography in a set of instructions printed as a deck of cards. At the start of a Shuffle session, participants (working alone or in groups) are given identical decks of cards stacked in numerical order. Each group shuffles the cards to randomize the order of their walk, starts walking in any direction, turns over the first card and follows the instructions. Examples of the instructions include "Walk in the shadows," "Look for codes or symbols in this area," "Write a slogan on the sidewalk," "Note any surveillance cameras in this area," "Sit on the curb and do nothing," "Eavesdrop," and "Keep walking straight ahead." Cards are 'played' in succession for a set amount of time, after which there is a gathering at a nearby location for refreshments and discussion.

The first Shuffle session took place in Brooklyn on 21 September, 2002. Results, photographs and other documentation can be found here.