Walk

The Contemporary Art of Walking

A curated walk in the Peak District by Alison LLoyd

Tuesday 10th May 2011

18 of us headed to Castleton in Derbyshire for a 5 hour walk, from a variety of backgrounds, with various aims and expectations. This was the first ‘independent’ activity that the network has undertaken since the AHRC/Beyond Text funding has finished.

The NRT participated in this curated walk which in many ways became an action research project for Alison Lloyd’s Contemporary Art of Walking, and the transport was funded by Loughborough University School of Arts and Nottingham Trent University.

The event mainly served as a social event, enabling participants to meet with others, as the only structure provided was the route, pace of the walk. As we have found with our other events, these informal discussions between PGRs are useful in sharing knowledge, references and expertise and for confidence building, identifying shared anxieties and developing an inter disciplinary and regional network. There are a number of collaborative initiative that are starting to emerge from individuals who met on the day. Whilst the evaluation clearly identifies a need for more directed and targeted approach to walking in future and it is hoped that a number of individuals will get together to develop this further.

A number of the participants have written blog entries associated with this walk and how it has fed into their research, which can be accessed by following the links below.

Andy Coverdale http://phdblog.net/tag/new-research-trajectories/

Sarra Hornby http://sarrahornby.blogspot.com/2011/06/last-day-contemporary-art-of-walking.html

We produced an official evaluation of the event for our funders and this can read by clicking here

Contemporary Art of Walking – NRT event

to register interest email newresearchtrajectories@gmail.com

Some initial questions

What happens when a group of PhD researchers and artists go on a curated walk?
How can we, the NRT create opportunities to expand and explore notions of research outside of the institution, and what happens when we do this?
What is the potential of a cross institutional and interdisciplinary network?
How may this ‘walk’, feed into and develop participant’s practices/research?
What opportunities will this work create for Alison and the participants in the future?

Aims

The specific aim of this event is to lead and walk with a large group of participants from a range of disciplines. These participants could be described as researchers/artists who like to walk, researchers/artists whose work is closely related to walking, researchers/artists who have an interest in wandering/walking as a methodology and researchers/artists whose work have a more metaphorical connection to the theme of walking. For example, wandering. Participants may want to include GPS/twitter and other technology that can be used to navigate actual walking and to navigate a range of practices.

Alison would like to be able to gather ideas/plans in discussion with researchers/artists that could become another physical walking experience for others – walkers or an arts audience. Eventually Alison would like to bring Mountain/hill walking culture together with contemporary art practices.

At the moment it is important for this to be an opportunity to develop conversations with a wide range of practices, including ‘performed’ work. Alison will do all of the above by talking NRT out for a days hill walk up to 600 m. The walk will be designed to provide locations for artists/researchers to talk and or perform. To provide places that at this point Alison may not know, exactly, what the outcome will be – that there is a certain amount of flexibility around a route plan. Alison is being a curator on foot, providing a clear framework. Other projects may be navigated following conversations on route.

It is hoped that this walk will lead to other events/happenings/research/exhibitions/opportunities/collaborations in the future.

Context

For Alison the overarching context for this walk is the extensive interest and use of walking in artists work. For practitioners like Richard Long, Hamish Fulton and Chris Drury, Simon English or Marina Abramovic working in the 60’s and 70’s to the present day. To artists such as Simon Pope and Tacita Dean who’s work and curated projects deal a variety of themes on walking.

The NRT bring together a fantastic range of practitioners (researchers and artists), who are already working with walking, landscape the environment in many different ways. This project will be hosted and facilitated by Alison Lloyd using her experience of hill walking and, for example will include in the walk an introduction to some basic map reading skills.

Background Information

Alison Lloyd is a curator and was previously head of Visual Arts at Arts Council East Midlands, since taking voluntary redundancy she has set up a research project and trained as an action learning facilitator. Alison brings a huge amount of knowledge and expertise to the group and even from an initial meeting, contacts, ideas and connections have already been made and we found many synergies between our objective and that there was much to be learned from both parties.

alison@contemporaryartofwalking.com

Practical Details

Our aim is to provide coach travel between Loughborough (8.30 am), Nottingham (9.15) and the Peak District , we are waiting for funding to be confirmed.

Leaving Peak District to return home @ 4pm

You will need walking boots, sturdy footwear and suitable clothing for hill walking.

You will need to bring own lunch/refreshments as we will be picnicing on route but the journey will also take in a pub stop!

More details of the day will be published neared the time.