I made a film looking back at my experience of walking during the pandemic. From the isolated strolls of lockdown, through the gradual stages of easing, and on to the tentative re-emergence of collective walking; this is my suburban exploration. Originally made for the 4th World Congress of Psychogeography for which I only managed to complete a rough cut, this is the final version with lovely sound and music from Bulbils and OD Davey.
Last month we “went” to the 4th World Congress of Psychogeography. We’ve already posted about our own contribution to this virtual gathering but here we want to give a mention to some of the other West Midlanders we came across while “there”.
Helen Garbett and Bill Laybourne
One of the highlights of the Friday film night was Helen Garbett and Bill Laybourne’s psychedelic Black Country amble Albion: Care Don’t Care.
After three months of lockdown Helen and Bill returned to Albion Street in Brierley Hill. At first they noticed, with a heightened sensibility a street full of caring organisations such as a local food bank and Samaritans incongruously set within an environment that is utterly uncared for and decaying. Subsequent visits revealed unexpected associations and a melancholic beauty.
Helen, a visual artist and Bill, a sound artist co-founded Workshop 24 in 2018 where they work collaboratively as social art and walking practitioners. More about their projects and recent work can be found here. And here’s their panel discussion at the Congress.
Emily Inglis and Rachel Owens
The mighty Gravelly Hill Interchange, AKA Spaghetti Junction has long been a favourite haunt of ours here at Walkspace so we were delighted to find a pair of artists who share our love of this concrete colossus.
Emily Inglis and Rachel Owens go on walks and make art; their creative collaboration is based on a thirty year friendship and the interplay of tensions and class differences contained within it.
They both grew up in the Midlands: Leamington Spa and Nottingham. Now they live 400 miles apart and walking trips are the thing. The Spaghetti Junction walk was a way back into art for them. Travelling up from Sussex and down from Edinburgh they chose to explore the footpaths, tunnels, underpasses, towpaths and the ‘no-man’s land’ parts of the junction; signposting this an English landmark to be celebrated.
This is part of a wider project investigating overlooked sites that say something different about England. They visited the Junction in all seasons finding recurring themes that drew them back: the strange, the scary, the funny, the getting lost, the countless arguments and the unexpected glorious hidden sanctuaries. They came across an apple tree at the heart of the Spaghetti Junction laden with fruit. Was this discarded by a fractious kid stuck in a traffic jam sometime in the 70s?
Emily and Rachel are currently working on a film born out of their explorations of the Junction. We eagerly await it and shall share it here when complete.
We hope to return to 4WCOP next year, ideally in person this time!
A Figure Walks is the title of Megan Henebury’s walking art-practice. During October, Megan will be walking the course of the River Rea from its source at Waseley Hills though the city of Birmingham to its confluence with the Tame under the M6 motorway.
Rather than strictly following the disjointed walkways and roads of the city, she will walk in the waters of the Rea for as much of the route as possible.
The Rea is Birmingham’s founding river, upon which the mills of the first Birmingham settlement were built. It has seen the rise of an industrial powerhouse supplying colonial expansion, the social revolutions of the 20th century, and the ravages of neoliberalism.
Throughout this history of demolition and rebuilding, the Rea has continued to carve its journey to the Tame – a rare constant in a city whose obsession with reinvention betrays a culture of self-loathing.
By walking in the river itself Megan will experience Birmingham from a perspective unfamiliar to most residents, where echoes of a long-lost pre-capitalist state might be heard, albeit muffled by the culverting and corralling of the river in the service of industry.
She hopes that these echoes will help reconnect us to the ground we live on and, in the age of capitalist realism, climate breakdown and global pandemics, renew our capacity for cooperation and self-sufficiency in our wider community.
The walk encourages a deeper connection with the natural environment and a new awareness of the hidden sounds around us – both natural and man-made.
Exploring the area of Stirchley, I’ve created a sound map of interesting listening points in the local area. These points have been recorded and the field recordings produced draw upon a range of sources – the hidden sounds of underwater currents, recordings of bats hunting above the River Rea, the secret world of Birmingham Brew before opening hours. As the walk progresses, the field recordings develop into smaller musical compositions that have been inspired by the mechanical and electromagnetic recorded sounds, progressing from a natural to an abstracted and imaginative sound world.
The Stirchley soundwalk creates a 60-minute self-guided journey of immersive audio experiences which can be experienced using a smartphone. The free SOUNDwalker app uses GPS to guide the walker to different locations and, on arrival, triggers audio tracks which provide site specific responses to the immediate environment.
As you listen to the soundwalk click on the listening points once to see the name of the location and click on the name to read more about the sounds you are hearing.
JOIN NIKKI FOR A GUIDED SOUNDWALK ON THURSDAY 1ST AND FRIDAY 2ND OCTOBER, 5:30PM AT ARTEFACT
Although the walk can be completed entirely independently using the SOUNDwalker app, this is an opportunity to talk to me about the sounds and my practice. The walks will be socially distanced, take place outside and participants are asked to wear a mask where possible.
Participants will need to bring their own headphones and mobile device. It is advised that participants download the SOUNDwalker app and the Stirchley Soundwalk in advance due to possible streaming issues.
The walk will last for one hour and start and end at Artefact, Stirchley. Please be aware that photographs will be taken of participants on the walk.
Looking to stretch your legs during the next Lockdown? Eager for a new adventure outside of your predicted algorithms? Curious to make some new socially distant friends? Desperate to break the simulation of your everyday reality? Then why not come on a quantum randomly generated walk with us! (We might just crash the Matrix – at the very least find some unexpected surprise encounters!)
Join live artist Sebastian H-W and Walkspace for a ‘Randonautica Walkshop’ (a walking workshop) inspired by and using the recently popular ‘adventure app’ called Randonautica – the world’s first quantumly generated ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ reality game. Together we’ll explore the local Birmingham area, walking in search of quantumly random unexpected encounters, in order to document and collect physical and digital evidence in the form of ‘Artefacts’, which we’ll bring back to the studio to discuss, examine and archive in our ongoing research investigations into the relationship between human consciousness and the quantum realm.
What is Randonauting? Watch to find out.
Exploring the psychogeography of ‘quantum mysticism’, magical intentionality, and simulation theory, ‘Randonautica Walkshop’is an interactive walking workshop experience, whereby participants become ‘Randonauts’ – facilitated by artists Sebastian H-W and Andy Howlett via live and remote/smartphone instructions on the free instant messaging app Telegram available on iPhone and Android. Smartphones with strong data roaming are encouraged, but not essential for this Walkshop.
Where?
eS-Studio, 55 Great Tindal St, Birmingham, B16 8DR
This is a “pay what you can” event. We suggest a £4+ donation to cover refreshments and workshop materials. If possible, please bring all donations in cash, otherwise Contactless Card donations will also be available via mobile card reader at the venue.
Walkshop Structure
Participants will meet at the artist’s studio in central Birmingham where refreshments will be provided.
Once all participants are assembled, Sebastian will explain how the Walkshop will run, how the Randonautica app works, and facilitate all participants through an interactive workshop to find your ‘quantum intentions’
We will choose a random participants’ ‘quantum intentions’
Their ‘quantum intentions’ are then transformed into quantumly random GPS points in the local area
All participants walk with the artist to the first GPS points focusing on the first participant’s ‘quantum intentions’
All participants will be invited to document their walk through photo/video/audio multimedia via the Telegram app.
Once the group reach the GPS location, we will document and collect physical and digital evidence of the manifestation of the participant’s ‘quantum intention’.
We will then randomly decide the next participant to follow their ‘quantum intention’ to their GPS point.
(Repeat steps 3 to 8)
Once all participants have lead the walk to their GPS points, the whole tour group will return to the artist’s studio for debriefing and refreshments.
Social Distancing Measures
This Walkshop is subject to social distancing measures in force on the 10th October. Participants will have to remain 1 to 2m apart at all times (unless from the same household). We sadly may have to cancel the Walkshop if the restrictions are too high/stringent but we will make every effort to ensure the event can go ahead as planned.
Accessibility
Access to the eS-Studio venue involves climbing 2 sets of stairs. Due to the period features of the venue, we are unable to provide ramp/level access or elevator/lift to the artist’s studio. Unfortunately, eS-Studio has no central heating and is not advised for anyone with a strong mould allergy. We advise all participants to wear warm layers both in the artist’s studio and outdoors on the walks.
Questions?
Please email: carpe.quantum.fatum[at]gmail.com
Sebastian H-W (MX:UK) is a Live Artist based in the West Midlands whose work explores identity, memory, technology, participation, and bodies, through cutting-edge approaches to creating live performances, action-based interventions, immersive tours, games, and installations. He has made work across a range of sites, spaces, and places including; grand theatres, queer clubs, white cubes, black-boxes, historic watchtowers, city streets, quiet canals, the palm of your hand, and the voices inside your head. He has performed on both a national and international level including the V&A Museum, Artsadmin, Battersea Arts Centre, Chelsea Theatre, The Wellcome Collection, Camden People’s Theatre, Arnolfini Bristol, Tempting Failure Festival, Sarean Centro Cultural Bilbao (Spain) Meinblau Gallery, and Gruntaler9 Berlin (Germany), Grace Exhibition Space NYC (USA) and UABJO Oaxaca (México). He has been funded by Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, British Council in Mexico, Jerwood Charitable Commission among other public and private funded bodies. Follow Sebastian on Twitter & Instagram: @SebastnHW – Facebook: www.facebook.com/sebastnhw More Info: http://bit.ly/sebastnhw
Why do we walk and what do individuals get out of walking? In our first interview, Paul Taylor from Burntwood talks about his durational walking challenges in the Midlands and beyond.
Hello! Who are you?
Hi, I’m Paul Taylor and in February 2020 I walked one million steps as part of The Prince’s Trust’s Future Steps challenge. This was the latest in a series of walking and other challenges I’ve set myself over the last few years, ostensibly to improve my fitness.
The Covid-19 restrictions have obviously affected my ability to take extended walks, and this has possibly had a related impact on my mental and physical health. But, as we enter August, I’m once again starting to walk for walking’s sake. And I’m hoping it won’t take as long to improve my health is it did the first time round…
Why do you walk?
In 2017 I changed job and started working from home four days a week. Cue a rapid drop in my fitness levels. My wife bought me a Fitbit to track my exercise and the step counter caught my attention. I found myself ‘gamifying’ the step count, going from 10k daily steps, to 15k, to two-week stretches of 20k steps a day.
But then I also started to enjoy exploring local footpaths, walking routes and public footpaths. The Beacon Way passes close to my home and that led to other long-distance walking routes.
You connect your walking activity with sponsorship of a cause and also record the walks publicly? Why is that?
I find the motivation to complete harder physical challenges from telling people I’m going to do it, mostly on social media, and then talking about it as I prepare and undertake it. It feels like it would be a missed opportunity not to raise money or awareness. Now people suggest charity-organised challenges for me to undertake.
My 93-mile Two Saints Way walk, from Lichfield to Chester, took four days and was possibly the most physically difficult. But it also the most rewarding for what it achieved – helping a CrowdFunder campaign by some good friends reach their target for a Climate Change and biodiversity project on Scotland’s Western Isles. That really helped push me through those points when I didn’t think I could complete it.
What is your relationship with walking? What do you get from it?
My main outcome and goal is still the fitness. I’m fitter now than I possibly ever have been. Walking seems to be the one form of exercise that I can actually keep up.
But I have also really enjoyed exploring my local area. I live in Burntwood and have done for 40 years. But I’ve walked through parts of it in the last two years that I’ve never been to before, followed footpaths I never knew existed just to see where they go. It’s taught me a lot about my home town and, in part, led to an interest in local politics that I hope to explore.
Finally, I get a certain peace of mind from walking that comes from the simple act of putting one foot in front of another. It can calm my thoughts and give me space to think things through. I suffer, on and off, from depression and walking helps to relieve that, particularly on pleasant days and in attractive and/or interesting surroundings. I’ve found the longer challenges can have dark and difficult moments of their own, however. Any difficult endurance challenge does, and you have to keep telling yourself that if it wasn’t difficult it wouldn’t be a challenge and it wouldn’t be worth doing.
Where do you walk?
I mainly walk around Burntwood. Gentleshaw Common, Cannock Chase and Chasewater are all within 10 to 30-minutes walk from my house. We also have urban routes like the Anglesey Branch Canal and the newly opened McClean Way in Brownhills.
If I’m walking simply for the step count I often walk to and from the train in Lichfield and Rugby to go to the office. Or, when I’m having to make up those last few thousand steps for the day’s target, the preferred destination is a pub for a ‘hydration break’ (a running joke in my FB posts – it’s a pint of cider). I know all of the pubs in Burntwood based on how many steps it takes to walk there and back. I’ve considered setting up a ‘Drunk Hiking’ group at times. Part hike, part pub crawl, part exercise in pushing H&S concerns to breaking point.
Do you prefer to walk alone?
I usually walk alone, out of circumstance rather than choice. There aren’t many other people I know who want to walk as far or as often as I do. I listen to a lot of music and audiobooks. I do a weekly internet live stream music show [check out Paul’s excellent radio shows – Ed.] focusing on new music and long walks give me plenty of time to listen to new material.
How do you record your walks?
I have been documenting my walks on social media using hashtags such as #MillionStepFeb and #AardvarkSaintsWalk. I started a blog but it’s not compatible with an activity that leaves you totally worn out at the end of the day.
Vlogging has given me a way to show my often beautiful surroundings and get across some longer thoughts that would have been difficult to type out. I also do shorter video pieces for posting on Instagram and FB stories. If feels like a way of sharing not just the facts of the walk but also the emotion of it. Particularly on a cold, dark, wet morning when I really wasn’t happy about being out there to get an early three-hour walk in before work.
It came as something of a surprise after each of the first few challenges when people told me they found my posts inspiring. It hadn’t occurred to me that my mad escapades could do that. A few friends and followers have taken up or increased the walking they do after seeing my posts and vlogs and I find that incredible. It encourages me on further.
What do you think about on long-distance walks?
Everything. Nothing. I find the repetitive, but not totally unthinking, nature of walking soothing. It frees me up to reflect on things, to allow my mind to roam or to focus on a specific issue as I wish.
I like to find out about my surroundings. I am one of those people who spends as much time staring at his phone screen as at the surroundings. And that’s often because I’m looking up things of interest that I’ve seen around me… landmarks, businesses, things that pique my interest, random questions I’ve had while my mind has wandered.
Has your walking become a bit of an addiction?
I can stop anytime I want. Honest… I don’t think it’s an addiction. Yet. But I do find in the period after a long challenge I get a mental and physical crash, almost a withdrawal, while I adjust back to normal levels of activity.
And there’s always a desire to do something else. To walk somewhere else. I definitely miss it when I’m not doing it. It has some of the features of addiction, particularly when I’m rearranging my day or heading out late at night just to hit an arbitrary step target. But that’s largely because my ultimate goal is the improved and maintained fitness.
What will be your next walking-based challenge or idea?
I want to do the Coventry Canal in a day, which is 38 miles from Fradley to Coventry. And to do the rest of the Heart of England Way once the weather improves.
I’m also interested in linking up with some local historians to find new walking routes with history to them or to keep old public footpaths alive. And I’d love to plan and then walk the route of Queen Elizabeth’s 1574 progression from London to Bristol as part of a project for a friend who’s obsessed with that event.
Ultimately, before age prevents it, I’m tempted to try an LDWA (Long Distance Walkers Association) 100 Mile event : 100 miles in less than 48 hours. However, I think that might be a step (or tens of thousands of steps) too far.
Do you have any suggestions or recommendations based on your personal walking practice, or just generally about walking or walking in the West Mids?
The West Midlands has some fantastic planned walks. I’d strongly recommend picking up a guide book to some local ones and trying them out. And then just get out there and walk.
Start small if you’re not a walker. Don’t buy expensive kit until you need it. When you start reaching distances where you’re suffering from wear and tear, then invest in decent hiking socks and shoes. And gaffer tape is the absolute best prevention method for blisters. Gaffer tape on your feet and micropore on your toes.
Thanks Paul!
If you’d like to be questioned about your walking, drop us a line and we’ll subject you to a light interrogation.
In the last few years I’ve navigated a mental health break down, a messy divorce from a toxic and abusive marriage, starting a totally new life in a new area, and a whole heap of family ‘stuff’.
At the start of 2020 I was optimistic about this being the year when things shifted away from being a struggle. We all know where this is going… this year I’ve navigated my business collapsing (it’s not a great time to make the majority of your income from wedding photography!) due to Covid, living alone for the first time in my life while under lockdown in a small flat, bereavement, and financial struggles. That might sound like a lot, or not very much, depending on your own experiences. Struggle is relative and, for me, the last few years have been hard and exhausting.
A few years ago my mental health would not have been robust or resilient enough to cope with all of the things that have adversely affected me in the last few years. As things stand, I am leaning into 2020 and weathering the storm.
Actively working on my own resilience has played a huge part in staying balanced. I’ve used all of the usual tools: therapy, a period on medication, self enquiry, exercise, eating nutritionally dense foods, getting enough rest, working on my personal and professional boundaries and drinking enough water, to name a few.
Meditation has also played a huge part and I now teach mindfulness, as well as leading mindfulness photography walks and mindfulness nature walks.
Mindfulness is having a moment in the spot light so a lot of people are aware of its benefits, but if not there’s a whole load of evidence that people who meditate experience less stress, increased focus and concentration, less emotional reactivity and a whole host of other benefits.
Mindfulness is a wonderful tool when used as a formal practice, but few things bring me as much joy as mindfully walking and engaging with the world around me.
I like to mindfully hike. When I find myself on top of a windy hill in Shropshire or in the depths of the Wyre Forest, I stop and mindfully tune into my surroundings, noticing the feel of the wind on my skin, or dramatic grey clouds rolling across the horizon, the earthy smell of woodland, or finding an unexpected flash of early Autumn colour.
You don’t need to be out in the sticks to employ mindfulness as a tool, though. I also like to mindfully walk around the suburbs of South-Birmingham observing the perfectly manicured front gardens of Bournville, encounters with cats, and listening to birdsong as I walk along the river Rea.
We often engage with the world by moving through it in haste, instead of stopping to fully witness what’s happening around us. To find joy in the beauty of small things you need to slow down.
Take yourself on a Mindful Walk and explore your local area or the countryside. You can even try mindfully exploring your own home.
Start by stopping.
You can sit or stand.
Close your eyes if you wish.
Bring your awareness to your body. Notice where you have contact with the ground and the feeling of its solidity beneath you. Notice any areas of tension or tightness in your body. Are there any areas of softness or warmth?
Bring your attention to any sensations that you feel. Maybe you can feel cool air or a warm breeze on your skin?
Now start to listen. What sounds can you hear in your immediate vicinity? Just observe them and try not to attach to them or label them. What can you hear in the distance?
If your eyes are closed, gently open them. Look around you. What can you see? Really start to notice. What colours can you see? How about textures? What can you see if you look up? And down?
Continue on your walk while maintaining this heightened awareness of the world around you. How does it feel to be mindful and engaged?
For me, practicing mindfulness in this way enables me to find joy, even on hard days. It allows me to focus on beauty and the world around me, while taking some respite from thinking about the things that are a struggle.
There are a million and one reasons to be cheerful; a new leaf unfurling on your favourite house plant, the comforting sound of water pouring from the kettle into your cup, or time spent with your favourite people.
This might seem like an overly simplistic view of the world, and I am no fan of positivity for positivity’s sake and especially the Good Vibes Only brand of toxic positivity that conveniently ignores systems of structural oppression and people’s real life, lived experiences within those structures.
We need to feel the gamut of our feelings and emotions to be emotionally healthy, however I do believe you can find little moments joy, if you look for them. Joy is everywhere. That’s my reason to be cheerful.
Laura Babb is a photographer, mindfulness teacher and she’s also currently training as a counsellor and psychotherapist. All photos in this post were taken on her ancient phone camera, during walks. Find Laura at @bisforbabb (weddings), @theclearspaceuk (mindfulness) and @babbwashere (walks and things).
Thanks Laura. If you, the reader, have an idea for a guest post, get in touch!
Following the success of our first Drawing Attention workshop in August we’re delighted to be teaming up with Hipkiss & Graney once more for another go. Save the date: 19 September, 1pm
Using our digitised map of Stirchley curios we’ll be questing through the streets and stopping to draw objects, buildings, flora, fauna and landscapes.
Such exciting landmarks include:
The Stirchley Megalith
The Hazelwell Millstone
The Blue Shipping Container
The Rooftops of Little London
The Moustache Cat
And many more!
To take part please email: hipkissandgraney@outlook.com
We’ll meet at the mysterious neolithic structure in Hazelwell Park at 12:45pm to begin adventure at 1pm.
Meet here.
//SOCIAL DISTANCING//
Bring facemasks, we will provide sanitizer and creative resources.
To ensure participants health we will be capping the number of participants at 6.
Please note that while this isn’t a children’s workshop, children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.
//THE STIRCHLEY TAPESTRY//
This is a community art project, and we want to work with everyone- no previous art and drawing experience needed. This will be a fun and relaxing daytime art workshop with some really wonderful outcomes that you are part of!
This is one of a series of Hipkiss and Graney community workshops for The Stirchley Tapestry. During these creative workshops we will create sustainable and fairer future communities through monochromatic drawings.
This weekend (Sept 4-6) is the 4th World Congress of Psychogeography. Usually it’s held in Huddersfield but due to you-know-what it’s happening online for 2020. Pete, Fiona and Andy submitted a talk about the Mapping Stirchley which takes the form of a video essay.
There are a number of talks, essays and short films going live on the 4WCOP website on Friday, though you’ll need to register (free) to access them. Once you’ve done this you can also join the discussions and panels. Our panel, The Same Place Through Different Eyes, is on Saturday at 11:30am. Please join us!
Update: The panel happened and was recorded. Watch it here:
This video marks a line in the sand for Walkspace. After our plans were scotched by lockdown we’re now ready to try this art-walking collective malarkey again. Watch for ways to get involved, or just drop us a note.
THIS EVENT IS BACK! The new date is August 23rd, 1pm.
We are delighted to be teaming up with visual arts duo Hipkiss and Graney for Drawing Attention: A Walking Drawing Workshop!
Using our digitised map of Stirchley curios we’ll be questing through the streets and stopping to draw objects, buildings, flora, fauna and landscapes.
Such exciting landmarks include:
The Blue Shipping Container
The Bindweed Curtain
The Rooftops of Little London
The Rogue Poplar
The Stone Table
And many more!
To take part please email: hipkissandgraney@outlook.com
We’ll meet at the mysterious neolithic structure in Hazelwell Park at 12:45pm to begin adventure at 1pm.
//SOCIAL DISTANCING//
Bring facemasks, we will provide sanitizer and creative resources.
To ensure participants health we will be capping the number of participants at 6.
Please note that while this isn’t a children’s workshop, children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.
//THE STIRCHLEY TAPESTRY//
This is a community art project, and we want to work with everyone- no previous art and drawing experience needed. This will be a fun and relaxing daytime art workshop with some really wonderful outcomes that you are part of!
This is the first in a series of Hipkiss and Graney community workshops for The Stirchley Tapestry. During these creative workshops we will create sustainable and fairer future communities through monochromatic drawings.
Walkspace 