Urban Dérive -
City Research In Victoria, Romania

A part of a two-year project “Utopian Cities, Programmed Societies”

Taking from the movements of psychogeography and the practice of dérive, our approach began with the idea of getting lost in the city. We started with our first impression of Victoria, by looking up Victoria online, and finding limited information about the city. 

By observing the landscape of the city, visiting the church, talking with the priests, visiting the old factory, interviews with the local inhabitants and also young people who have returned, the city unfolds a multi-layered image to us. Each layer is represented by a unique perspective of different people, different times, and different politics. Each perspective holds their individual story and understanding of the city, which all together forms the beauty of Victoria.

By taking into account different perspectives of local, historical, official and the first impression we had of Victoria, we aim to create a new way of understanding what creates the identity of a utopian city like Victoria.