Rolling the Dice on Urban Experience:
An Incomplete Toolkit for the Participant-Observer

A guide to using ordinary physical objects as tools for deepening urban exploration, Rolling the Dice on Urban Experience makes the case for object-mediated experience: the idea that everyday items like dice, a compass, a hand mirror, a magnifying glass, and a tally counter can stand between the explorer and their environment in ways that transform perception, disrupt habit, and open up new possibilities for discovery. Rooted in ideas drawn from psychogeography, mindfulness, and field ethnography, the guide approaches exploration as a form of play, arguing that curiosity and a willingness to subvert routine are among the most powerful tools an urban wanderer can carry.

For each object covered, the guide offers a range of specific activities and variations, from stochastic navigation and sensory focus exercises to comparative sketching and timed observation protocols. The tone throughout is practical and encouraging rather than academic, and the guide is explicit that it is a primer and jumping-off point rather than an exhaustive treatment. Readers are invited to adapt, combine, and invent freely.

Length: about 7,500 words. Originally published March 2026.

Currently available in digital and printable formats linked below. The Amazon link may not work for all regions, but the book should be available in your country. Just search for it by title and you should be able to find it. 

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