Donna Jones' Report

The research topic for my Masters in Applied and Participatory Drama was about women cyclists in and around cities with a particular focus upon the phenomenon of Ghost Bikes and how these memorials impacted upon cycling behaviour. A major site of learning as part of my research has been the critical engagement with and understanding of the ethnographic process. The trip to San Francisco was an exciting opportunity to develop my ethnographic skills to capture a plurality of narratives and gain an insight into particular cycling moments. I was influenced in particular by research into and literature about 'mobilities' when reflecting on and engaging in mobile ways to collect data.

Understanding mobile ethnographic methods challenging due to the liminal and ephemeral nature of cycling bodies that constantly map and re-map the environment with which they interact and I found this was at odds with conventional, location-based research methods which cannot capture many of the fleeting moments that occur with mobile bodies.

Getting a 'feel' of San Francisco by foot and then by bike was a priority. By walking everywhere for the first 2 days I was able to tune into the sounds, smells and differing pace of the city. Hiring a bike and taking a leisurely cycle ride through the Golden Gate Park and out to Ocean Beach was a gentle introduction to becoming familiar with traffic flow on the 'other side of the road' to what I am used to.

I decided to do a 'Ride-Along' with JJ who I met in a café and who agreed to being observed from the saddle on one part of her commute to work.

The Ride-Along with JJ featured a constant weaving amongst vehicles to advance our position in, and be part of the flow of the traffic. We were never stationery for long or waiting behind a vehicle when we could find a means to 'wiggle through' because as JJ later shared she felt 'there's always a need to stay one step ahead, to anticipate what drivers are going to do because they are so unpredictable.'

This ride emphasised an urgency to remain in motion raising my own anxiety levels at times to a 'fight' or 'flight' response. However as I shared the ride, I increasingly understood JJ's rationale to assert herself, to anticipate and constantly manoeuvre, emphasising a pro-active participation on the roads. Through adjusting my own cycling stance in order to respond in a similar way, I had a new insight into different strategies that can be employed to engage with the dominance of motor vehicles and imagine space differently in the face of perceived 'unpredictability'.

Situating myself in an environment at once unfamiliar yet familiar gave me an invaluable opportunity to contrast and compare the activity of cycling as a performance of the everyday that unfolds within the theatrical space of the city.