What is Dérive?
Pronounced “day-rEEv”* [de.ʁiv], this ongoing series of related collaborative art projects combines elements of mapping, illustration, interviewing, and storytelling, all done in real time.
*From le français, meaning “drift”.
Workshop at Shan State Kachin Baptist Association. ~Lashio, Myanmar (March, 2020)
Dérive seeks to orient, unleash, and reconnect with our life geography. These projects assume we are inherently wise and come informed with the answers to all of our questions, while working relentlessly to redeem our individual and collective dignity through analysis and expression of the basic functions of our character and our life narratives.
Dérive draws on a number of sources from psychoanalysis, epistemology, personality models, color theory, linguistics, and geometry, while distilling these influences through the motifs of cartography.
Testimonials
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“It was a capsule where I was touching the heart of my soul. Nick holds a special form of space through his creation, where we both are creating. A memorable experience I recommend…” —Ali, Kuwait
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“Therapeutic...uncovering dark and light.” —Emily, UK
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“…a surprisingly deep, but easily accessible self reflection.” —Jannis, Germany
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“I felt heard, I felt you were fully present to my story…the map was something we co-created.” —Phoebe, Australia
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“Nick is a gentle and empathetic interviewer who does a great job at guiding the process into progressively deeper reflection.” —Anonymous, New York