I have now had 3 night walking expeditions and so far they have not been a massive success but still, it has been interesting in ways unexpected. Some observations made so far; 1. people never seem to sleep, there is always someone around. 2. I feel incredibly self conscious about being out and 3. where I see STREET police see BANK. Police cars patrol the town centre all night and are really interested in what people with cameras and a tripod are doing loitering around shops, because of this I felt quite distracted and ever so slightly harassed. I really don’t know why I wasn’t more prepared for this, of course being in the streets at 4am is going to attract attention, make one feel vulnerable, guilty and slightly paranoid.
But aside from the self consciousness, things happen that are really fascinating. The streets are like stage sets waiting in anticipation for the actors. It is on the empty street that I am almost able to get a glimpse of how this space exists before the ‘actors’ arrive. The signs, codes, markings and boundaries of the environment seem to be quietly waiting for the arrival of subjects and as it waits it continually flickers, blinks, swivels, points and directs with a steady authority. Giving it a faceless, abstract presence. I want to try out many different ideas, but as of yet I haven’t really been able to bring myself to be any more out of the ordinary than just being there in the first place. I’m hoping my confidence will grow and I will feel more free to experiment soon. So far all my interaction has felt laboured; experimentation and creativity frustratingly suppressed by the place.
