Thoughts that developed as a result of our field trip on February 9th.
Rhizomes
A walking field trip from Espacio Gallery on the Bethnal Green Rd. through Sculpture in the City at various locations ending at Leadenhall Market.
Participants: Veronika Marsh (Linguist, and artist)
Virginia Fitch. (Walking with The Waste Land)
Allan (Poet, writer , student of life)
Helen Peacock (Artist, currently exploring wires and tensions)
Jill Rock (Sculptor and performance artist)
Elspeth Penfold (Artist, weaver, exploring walking as research)
I have invited participants on these walks to take a leap of faith with me as we are never too sure how the walk will evolve or who will turn up on the day. When questioned about the route I say that there is a heartfelt aim that we will somehow arrive at our destination.
This is all very difficult to explain, hence the leap of faith.The following explanation might be helpful
Perhaps one of the most important characteristics of the rhizome is that it always has multiple entryways. Likewise this walk has multiple entryways.
“quipu”
1. Threads an Exhibition at Espacio Gallery, including a piece of my own work “Quipu”.
Quipu was made during a residency at Sun Pier House in Chatham, last July from materials gathered during a walk organised with the Walking with The Waste Land group for The Writing Buildings symposium at The University of Kent.
It now seems clear that threads as a metaphor are looming large in this walk.
2. A second entry way is Palabra e Hilo, sited readings of a poem by Cecilia Vicuña, Thread and Word. Vicuña is a Chilean Poet and a walker who weaves words. Like TS Eliot, Vicuña’s writing is a stream of conscious thought with references to mythic ideas but hers are rooted in Andean culture rather than European.
The fragmentary introduction of poetry readings from different sources ties in well with another entry which is:
Cadenetas
3. International Women’s month, celebrating the work of Sarah Lucas and Lizi Sanchez.
Kevin and Florian – Sarah Lucas
Lizi Sanchez is a Peruvian artist, whose work Cadenetas, paper chains, offers a different entry point to an engagement with the walk.
The fragmentary introduction of poetry readings and interventions as we walk plays with Cadenetas as we go spotting and discovering the copper chains installed along the site of Sculpture in the City.
Sculpture in the City
4.The exhibition Program of Sculpture in theCity offers a further entry point. Artists and walkers have chosen to engage with sculptures along the route.
4.Walking with The Waste Land is another entry point.
This is a walking group which is a part of Journeys with The Waste Land, at the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate.
The group have been using walking as research to explore the poem as a contribution to the wider Research group for an exhibition opening at The Turner contemporary in 2018.
Sited readings of The Waste Land by TS Eliot will take place along the route from Espacio to Leadenhall Market.
These readings engage with site and open ideas connected with Palabra e Hilo
5.If you enjoy walking as research you might like to join a walk I am organising in Margate, on March 11th, as a part of POW Thanet , Let’s Talk about Vivienne.
Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot has been seen variously as a femme
for more about this: walk:http://www.powthanet.com/lets-talk-about-vivienne.html
So there we have it Rhizomes a useful tool to allow ourselves the freedom to engage creatively.
Ginger, botanical rhizome
These events are all threaded together by the people I have invited to participate in the walk from Espacio Gallery to Leadenhall Market. I am interested in people and what brings us together. I am delighted with the ideas and interventions that have already developed as a result of the field trips.
Using walking as a research tool to develop ideas and bring people together to collaborate creatively is proving to be incredibly rewarding. The metaphor of the Rhizome allows us not to close down opportunities for discovery, chance encounters and ideas.
Thinking about Rhizones, Ropes and the knots made by participants walking on Thursday
Our walk last Thursday was no exception.We were, in Ingold’s words, wayfaring rather than transporting.
The ropes I make and give to participants in the walks to document the experience by making knots play with this concept of wayfaring.
“Every place, then , is a knot in the meshwork , and the threads from which it is traced is a line of wayfaring”- Walking Threads, Threading Walk”; Weaving and Entangling Deleuze and Ingold with Threads
I am looking forward to our walk on March 5th!
