Walk the Walk

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 au...

After thinking long and hard about what I wanted to make for my final project as part of the MA, I felt myself drawn to walking practice - over the past two years I have built my personal practice and developed my understanding, it only seems fitting that my final work should also explore walking practice. Over the course of my undergrad and my MA I have enjoyed making participatory durational work, I believe it is where I thrive the best and therefore where I feel most comfortable - again it makes sense that this final work should also take this form. The risk with me making another walking practice piece is the struggle to create something new and different to the work I have previously made and so I have begun my process with this in mind.

Feeling stuck in a rut and lacking inspiration, me, Jenny, Lotty and Louisa decided to have a group session together to discuss and collate our ideas, and offer each other any feedback. We began this by initially talking through any ideas that we had. Personally I felt in a place where I had no idea of what I wanted to create. I knew that it will probably involve audience interaction/participation and will probably take the form of a durational/instillation style work.  Next, Louisa suggested an exercise where we had to write down five words that described the last piece of work that we made, and then write down any exercises, research, themes and ideas that we would have if we were making another piece of work about these themes. Once we had done this for our own work, we did it for each other's. My last piece of work was the one I mentioned briefly in my last post, where I held hands with a participant and talked to them about intimacy. Below is a photograph of my map. ...

The link below will take you to a doodle poll where you can select one 30 minute slot to participate in my piece 'Walk the Walk', which will take place between 1:30 and 4:30 on Tuesday 3rd September in the Perform 1 Studio inside the Leeds Beckett University Leslie Silver Building. https://doodle.com/poll/dtze788xus3arq4a Please note, during your experience there will be a section where I ask you to walk on a treadmill at your own pace for 10 minutes. If you are unable to do this you may leave before this section begins.

I just wanted to briefly reflect on the module launch session that we had with Teresa. This began with Teresa reading us a text that she had written 10 years ago for a group of students entitled ' How do I make work? '.  As you can see from the images above, the letter details the different decisions and considerations that Teresa makes when she is making work. However, she also stresses that it is important to find the ways of working that are best for you, and these suggestions are only suggestions, not rules to be followed.  Teresa then asked us to imagine the moments after our final projects are finished, and the feelings, emotions, experiences that would happen in these moments. What people would say after watching, what we would be feeling. And then, Teresa asked us to choose two words - one to summarise how we were feeling right then, at the start of the module, and one to summarise how we think/hope we will be feeling in the moment after our pieces were fi...