Haughty nightclubs, community parks, backs of car seats and movie theaters give us physical space to relate differently, and be different.

The author highlights how our simple interactions with people can help to shift our focus, and others', toward a more insightful understanding of the world and our place within it. The RA is a unique institution, an independent charity with a mission to be a clear, strong voice for art and artists, where art is made, exhibited and debated. A playful, analytical, informed, and poetic exploration of the delight and transformative power of real-life encounters.Andy Field – along with his partner Beckie Darlington – have an international programme of projects which is really helping forge the next generation of architects, planners, urban designers and flaneurs, by asking them what they want from their cities. A delightful meandering sociology read that delves into the various ways we connect with one another. However I found myself skimming toward the end of each section as it felt like a repeat of what he just said, like he was trying to reach a certain word count.

We must not lose sight of working with people we love working with… Therefore, meet in person, share those experiences, get hungry together, get hot/cold together, share in each other’s pains, radiate, share in joy, confidence, awkwardness, nervousness, and everything else that defines what it is to exist on this planet – together.If recent trends in bad behavior are any indication, we may also have yet to relearn the skill set of coexistence — like how not to throw hard objects at musicians during their live shows, even if it makes for eye-grabbing video. In this deeply rewarding book, Andy Field brings together history, science, psychology, queer theory, and pop culture with his love of urban life and his own experiences--both as a city-dweller and as a performance artist--to forge creative connections: walking hand-in-hand with strangers, knocking on doors, staging encounters in parked cars. Wonderfully lyrical, deep feeling and entertaining, this is a real love letter to the spontaneous and delightful encounters we open up to when we leave the house. Each essay is carefully crafted, and full of questions that lead the reader onto further contemplation. In this deeply rewarding book, Andy Field brings together history, science, psychology, queer theory, and pop culture with his love of urban life and his own experiences―both as a city-dweller and as a performance artist―to forge creative connections: walking hand-in-hand with strangers, knocking on doors, staging encounters in parked cars.

It allows him to reminisce on the original joys and behaviour patterns of past decades (and millenia) and mix them with the new post-internet, post-pandemic age we live in. You never know what someone else is going through, which could be a lot worse than how you think your bad day is progressing. However, in doing this, as you read the pages, you imagine your own experiences in similar situations; and thus the first reading of the book really becomes about your own memories and encounters. A rousing reminder that our cities, our residential and work places, must still allow for the possibility of spontaneity and shared, in-person joy.My thoughts and feelings about getting a haircut are entirely different from his, but I felt that he was stretching out his writing.