A dérive (or ‘drift’) is an invitation to encounter familiar terrains in unfamiliar ways. Dérives were originally intended as liberatory acts; in this spirit this ‘how-to’ is a note of encouragement for you to make any dérive your own – this is not an instruction manual.

There isn’t a single, ‘right’ way to drift. We simply invite you to follow your curiosities and desires, and encounter your surroundings using all your senses. Stay open to what you might encounter and where you might go while drifting. You might want to set a duration for your dérive. Three minutes, half an hour, several hours, a whole day or many days: all acceptable.

Drift through your own life – why not?

Drift alone or in the company of others: human and other-than-human. Drift with children or animals (may be safer if you know each other). If you’re a child, seek ways to drift with a parent or guardian. Anyway, as you drift, you will soon realise you are in the company of numerous others.

There are over 200 dérive ideas here, easing you into attuning with more-than-human worlds. Many invite you to notice and give attention to creatures, things, and phenomena in the urban landscape that often go unnoticed. Some dérives invite exploration of practices such as deep listening, breathing and presencing, and multi-sensory awareness. They are sorted by ten categories:

Becoming 🌈 To listen and attune to those less visible or heard

Space-time ☲ To understand space and time differently

Decentering the Human 🌚 To not assume anthropocentrism and human exceptionalism

Sensemaking ◑ To feel, think, and know differently

Do-it-Together ✨ To drift with other humans and more

Tracing 💛 To notice different marks and patterns

Thresholds 🌸 To explore the in-between

Listening ㋡ To listen and attune to those less visible or heard

One Word ⫸ To play with key terms from the Creatures Glossary

Magic Eight Ball 🎱 To mix-it-all up across all categories

Or create a dérive of your own. If you have an idea for a dérive, you could share it with others.

Additional notes:

  • Make sure you have clothing appropriate for local climate and movement across a range of terrain and surfaces. If you plan to drift for a while, it’d be wise to take water and stay hydrated.
  • Drifting can be immersive and engrossing. Take care especially while drifting around  objects and creatures, including humans. Be mindful of traffic and road conditions while drifting. Be responsible for your own safety. 
  • As you drift, you might wish to use a printed copy of More-than-Human Dérive Record (only Melbourne version is currently available) or other recording devices as a way to capture your impressions and experiences.
  • You can also simply record with your body. We like this. Once your drift is over, you could add a new creature or offer your dérive story to one of the creatures on the map. Your offering can include a range of things: text, photos, drawings, diagrams, collages, bark rubbings, audio or video recordings and other media. Feel free to go wildly imaginative. The creature will then carry your story through its lifetime, and if you wish, whisper it to someone afar. 

Thanks for drifting and sharing your experiences with the feral creatures (including us), and exploring and opening new ways we sense and know many worlds by including more-than-human stories, voices, and perspectives.