I first became interested in walking practice on a module during my second year of my Undergrad degree, we had two guest tutors for an ensemble project, meaning the whole class created a piece together. Walking practice was introduced to us by these guest tutors, as their PhD research explored walking, and used many different walking methods and techniques to create material.
During the time on this module, these tutors led many workshops and taught us some of the methods that they had been exploring. One of these methods was to go on a group walk where we had to follow the leader of the group, and only they knew the route that we would be taking. This technique meant that the whole group had to place trust in the leader, especially when we walked in areas that we were unfamiliar with. This is something that I found really interesting, and has been something that I have been exploring alongside my walking practice research. I am interested in the relationship between performer and audience/participant, and how this can alter when we ask questions about intimacy and trust.
The next thing that the tutors introduced us to was walking with participants. For our performance, half of the group led participants on a guided walk through the city - which ended at the studio space where the rest of the group were doing the other part of the work. I have since done further research and likened this work to that of Rosana Cade in her piece 'Walking:Holding'. In this work there are several volunteers who lead participants on a walk through the city whilst holding their hands, until they meet with the next volunteer and the participant carries on the journey with them. Talking about 'Walking:Holding' Cade said;
"The performers, or ‘hand holders’ are a group of local participants who are different ages, races, genders, sexualities and social backgrounds, creating a diverse and rich experience for the audience member. This performance is about bringing very different people together to walk hand in hand in public. It’s about flesh to flesh experiences of difference. It hopes to encourage greater understanding and tolerance amongst people who experience it, and to open up new possibilities for ways of being in public space, and ways of being with each other" (Cade, R. 2016).
This style of work has definitely had an influence on the sort of work that I make, and for my final project on the Undergrad I created a piece of work entitled 'A Walk in the Park', where I walked continuously around a park square for 12 hours. Whilst I walked, people sitting in the park were invited to participate in the work and walk with me, and during these encounters we would have conversations about our experiences of walking. I usually started each conversation in the same way - asking the participant to describe to me (in as much detail as possible) their journey to get to the park that morning. After this initial chat, I would allow the conversation to flow naturally, in order for it to be as authentic as possible. I would often find a common thread between mine and the participants stories, or ask them further questions, like asking them to tell me about an important or memorable journey that they had walked in their lives.
As part of my process for this performance I also created a video made up of lots of different clips that I recorded of my feet whilst walking. Originally the piece was intended to be a studio work, and this video would have been projected in the space, and although it didn't make it into the final work, I still felt as though doing this small task everyday helped me to stay on track with the process, and was therefore really useful throughout the project.
Whilst on the MA I haven't been focusing as much on the walking element of my practice, instead I have been experimenting with intimacy between performer and participant, but this research can be directly implemented into my walking practice.
Which brings me up to date - with my final project for the MA.
Bibliography.
Cade, R. (2016). Walking:Holding. [online] Rosanacade.co.uk. Available at: https://www.rosanacade.co.uk/walking-holding?fbclid=IwAR3t7BlS5IeTDjjAzyPAWSgdMC-cNk79FyGBjREpmVcheyTOFBHanm6LteE [Accessed 16 Aug. 2019].
During the time on this module, these tutors led many workshops and taught us some of the methods that they had been exploring. One of these methods was to go on a group walk where we had to follow the leader of the group, and only they knew the route that we would be taking. This technique meant that the whole group had to place trust in the leader, especially when we walked in areas that we were unfamiliar with. This is something that I found really interesting, and has been something that I have been exploring alongside my walking practice research. I am interested in the relationship between performer and audience/participant, and how this can alter when we ask questions about intimacy and trust.
The next thing that the tutors introduced us to was walking with participants. For our performance, half of the group led participants on a guided walk through the city - which ended at the studio space where the rest of the group were doing the other part of the work. I have since done further research and likened this work to that of Rosana Cade in her piece 'Walking:Holding'. In this work there are several volunteers who lead participants on a walk through the city whilst holding their hands, until they meet with the next volunteer and the participant carries on the journey with them. Talking about 'Walking:Holding' Cade said;
"The performers, or ‘hand holders’ are a group of local participants who are different ages, races, genders, sexualities and social backgrounds, creating a diverse and rich experience for the audience member. This performance is about bringing very different people together to walk hand in hand in public. It’s about flesh to flesh experiences of difference. It hopes to encourage greater understanding and tolerance amongst people who experience it, and to open up new possibilities for ways of being in public space, and ways of being with each other" (Cade, R. 2016).
This style of work has definitely had an influence on the sort of work that I make, and for my final project on the Undergrad I created a piece of work entitled 'A Walk in the Park', where I walked continuously around a park square for 12 hours. Whilst I walked, people sitting in the park were invited to participate in the work and walk with me, and during these encounters we would have conversations about our experiences of walking. I usually started each conversation in the same way - asking the participant to describe to me (in as much detail as possible) their journey to get to the park that morning. After this initial chat, I would allow the conversation to flow naturally, in order for it to be as authentic as possible. I would often find a common thread between mine and the participants stories, or ask them further questions, like asking them to tell me about an important or memorable journey that they had walked in their lives.
As part of my process for this performance I also created a video made up of lots of different clips that I recorded of my feet whilst walking. Originally the piece was intended to be a studio work, and this video would have been projected in the space, and although it didn't make it into the final work, I still felt as though doing this small task everyday helped me to stay on track with the process, and was therefore really useful throughout the project.
Whilst on the MA I haven't been focusing as much on the walking element of my practice, instead I have been experimenting with intimacy between performer and participant, but this research can be directly implemented into my walking practice.
Which brings me up to date - with my final project for the MA.
Bibliography.
Cade, R. (2016). Walking:Holding. [online] Rosanacade.co.uk. Available at: https://www.rosanacade.co.uk/walking-holding?fbclid=IwAR3t7BlS5IeTDjjAzyPAWSgdMC-cNk79FyGBjREpmVcheyTOFBHanm6LteE [Accessed 16 Aug. 2019].
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