Friday 25 June 2021

Walking Bodies: Seeking Chaos, Chance & Inspiration

I love walking as a way to get inspiration, and I don't have to visit beautiful unspoilt countryside either. Just a stroll around my own town can give me ideas for what to write about. 

On Wednesday evening I went to the online launch event for the new book Walking Bodies, which is about walking as art and walking to inspire art. It's part of a new movement using techniques from psychogeography, guided tours, perambulatory theatre and other forms of performance art. The subtitle of the event was Scores and Exchanges. Scores are basically brief ideas for themes and topics when going for a walk. 

The organisers sent out seven different scores beforehand and invited participants to do one or two, and then write something short. The image to the right shows the score I decided to do. The collage at the top shows photographs I took when I was out, and the poem below is my creative offering inspired by it:

 On Straight Streets

Worms and wildflowers,
Snowflake symbols,
Fallen fence and child's spinner,
Shops for bets and Lucky booze 
Art and writing on the walls - 
All of these things I saw
Winding my way
On straight streets
Walking Bodies: Papers, Provocations, Actions from Walking’s New Movements, the Conference is ​edited by Helen Billinghurst, Claire Hind and Phil Smith. It is published by Triarchy Press. I've ordered a copy of the book and am looking forward to trying out more of the ideas within it.



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