On Saturday 26 September, we brought another group of people together from all over the North West for a day of exploring, wandering and general high jinks.
We have been running Joy Diversions since 2018, designed as a gentle and fun way to explore the places where we live, work and play. The idea is that we often overlook the beauty and strangeness of places both familiar and less known. So, by exploring with new eyes, and a sense of fun and wonderment, we can start to challenge our preconceived notions of why things are as they are.
What happens at a Joy Diversion?
The day starts with a cup of tea or coffee and an introduction. People arrive in groups or on their own, but we are all there for one thing, and that is to have fun.
ODM has a huge collection of old maps for people to peruse as we talk through the order of the day. First, everyone is encouraged to think of ideas for what they want to explore. These can range from the specific to the experiential, and the only rules are that it has to be safe, fun and legal. The ideas go up on a wall and are clustered into themes.
Groups then form around the different expedition ideas, organised by interest so that everyone has a team to join.
The next thing to sort is the exploration backpacks, which each team must take with them. The backpacks contain things to help you explore:
- a compass
- a die with directions on it for when you don’t know which way to go next
- safety equipment such as plasters
- a documentation kit including notebook, tape measure, treasure bags, gloves, large tweezers and treasure tags
- an envelope of prompts, many of them written by the brilliant Morag Rose from the Loiterers Resistance Movement.
As teams grab a bag they also choose a real-life animal avatar. It has two functions: to act as guide and protector, and to appear in every photograph the team takes. Evidence and documentation is key.
During the expedition each team documents where they are and sends photos back to the Joy Diversion host, so everyone can see what the others have been up to at the Show and Tell later. Teams are also encouraged to bring back found items of interest in their treasure bags.
One more rule: contemporary maps are forbidden. It would all be too easy and functional otherwise. The only maps allowed are between 100 and 180 years old, which can confound, but also throw up some pleasant surprises.
So what happened on this Joy Diversion?
This time the four teams were the Llamas, the Tigers, the Oryxes and the Turtles, each heading their own way through the city.
At the end of the day everyone came back invigorated and eager to share what they had found: ornate ceilings in old pubs, animals both alive and figurative in unusual places, forgotten pathways and derelict spaces.
After the stories had been told, people went their separate ways, each with a new, fun and slightly odd experience of the city.
We have run Joy Diversions all over the country, and they are a fun excuse to explore. Let us know if you would like to run one in your community, or as corporate team building, and we’ll bring the backpacks.