Women, Walking and Wellbeing

Women, Walking and Wellbeing

Last Monday I held the first of my walking workshops. This one, ‘Women, Walking and Wellbeing’, looks at our attitude to walking, here in the UK, and includes exercises on creative way-finding and place making and introduces the art of Psycho-geography.

Woman walking.

Colourful and textural detective work.

It went well and everyone enjoyed themselves, the venue worked and the coffee and cake was appreciated. On refection, I find that it is only when I am actually running workshops that the content and engagement can be improved.

 

Finding landmarks.

I went to see Germaine Greer at a new arts venue, The Quarterhouse, in Folkestone last week and found her talk ‘The Disappearing Woman’ interesting but quite sombre. What I decided I would take home from the talk was a determination to make more women visible. So, let’s get out there, get walking, see and be seen!

Some interesting 'clues' to navigate by.

Everyone on my course said a main part of the enjoyment of the day was meeting other like-minded women.This is important.

Learning by Doing

It is through doing courses that they evolve into something quite inspiring for both the facilitator and the participants. I have now changed the time frame and the subsequent costs, tightened up the content, added more dates (next date is 30/03/15) and created a workshop package for each participant to take away with them.

Using modern methods and post-it notes!

I am away next weekend at The Eden Project in Cornwall. I am really looking forward to it, it is a ‘Big Lunch Extras’ event and it supports people ‘to bring about positive change in neighbourhoods right across the UK’. There will be ‘an interactive and varied timetable of workshops, activities and inspirational speakers alongside time to explore and network with others.’ This feels to me like the perfect timed opportunity to participate.

Foreshore detail: low sun, tide running out.

Foreshore, larger view.

I am getting a clearer vision of how my MA Design research and subsequent work is going to evolve into a far reaching and positive ‘movement’ for many. I want my work to be improved by attending courses and events such as this one, but I am also keen to make a living by it. I haven’t applied for any funding yet, as the actual vision needs to be very focused and clear on who it is for, where it will be, what it is exactly and how it will be applied. I feel that I am so close now.

Writing

I am starting with a book which will be finished by early May and the writing of it will be funded by a crowd-funding campaign. I have been researching about crowd-funding for a while and followed some very successful ones on social media. It is not easy but it is possible. The campaign also identifies the market and is therefore very useful if/when approaching a publisher.

On of my paintings was published in last years 'Earth Pathways Diary'.

I have been looking at the possibilities of self-publishing too. There are many online options; one that has been recommended to me is ‘Lulu’. The initial problem I can see of using this ‘platform’ is that they only produce books with glossy covers. Strangely this bothers me, I expect my book to be beautiful to look at, I have a wealth of images that I can use which include photographs and my own and others original artwork.

Beautiful Books

Even when I used to get my photos developed back in the day of processing labs, I used to prefer the matt finish over the glossy one. So I realise that the aesthetic of the book is as important as the content, to me. I have been looking through many of my own books at home and others in libraries recently, pondering their shape, style, weight, layout etc.

Even the form of the words on the page can be evocative and beautiful.

Page from a 1950's book of the countryside, showing page border detail.

There are many that I own because how they look appealed to me first. There are others, but few, that have comprehensive and valuable text, but are a bit clumsy in their look.

One of the shop displays showing some books back in 2014.

I think the feel of a book and its content are both important. My friends own a shop called ‘Number Seven’ in Dulverton, Somerset and I know that they are persuaded by this too.

A wonderful book that I am working through at the moment. I don't know whether Number Seven stocks this one.

This book I know is stocked there. Such a beautiful cover.

Their bookshelves are full of the most exquisite books, colourful, beautiful and precious. Davina also organises a ‘Walking Book Club’ that takes people out into the surrounding wonderful wild countryside, to discuss the book that they have all been reading.

Photo by Davina Jelley, taken at one of her walking book clubs, a couple of years ago.

The club is open to all, the books are available from the shop, to buy and there is a welcoming atmosphere to all that join in.

So next time I will blog, it will be after my Eden experience. Hopefully I will come back inspired and enthused for setting up more local projects, engaging others and connecting people to place.

(I completed my MA in September 2014 and recorded the last two months of it in another blog called www.thesaltwayfarer.blogspot.co.uk

Please feel free to look at that anytime, as it is from that, that I am where I am now.)

Recognition

Recognition

I believe that humans need to feel like they have a purpose in the world. When this is recognised, a feeling of value is generated. This feeling of value creates happiness which in turn can encourage good health and wellbeing. So, to go to a ‘conversation’ about value and come out of it 3 hours later none the wiser left me disheartened and frustrated. The ‘Creative Challenge’ hinted at, but not explained by the host, Uwe Derkson, on the day was ‘How Do We Articulate Value?’  

His co-host was Nixiwaka Yawanawa, a member of the most endangered tribe in the world, the Awa, who has been working with Survival International since 2013.

I really enjoyed hearing Nixiwaka talk. It felt a privilege to be there and hear his considered answers to all the questions that he was asked. He explained that his tribe all have a calling to connect with the land, they live in nature and practice spirituality regularly, through ritual, ceremonies and journeying. Two shamans guide them, one is 102 years old and the other one, well, he explained, no-one really knows how old he is…

I will not explain any more about the ‘conversation’, as I was deeply ashamed to have been part of UCA, (the University of the Creative Arts), in the not too distant past. I completed my MA with them just over a year ago and it was with a form of loyalty that I chose my old college, (Medway College of Design), which now forms part of the UCA, as a base for my learning. To cut a long and disturbing story short, I felt it was nothing but aloofness and arrogance that Uwe Derkson represented on that day, on behalf of the UCA, to both the audience, me included and to Nixiwaka.

When I spoke to Nixiwaka after the event it transpires that he does not judge, he and his tribe share and he recognises his purpose whilst over here is to educate others about the threatened indigenous peoples’ way of life. I really hope to catch up with him another time, I would love to walk with him in nature and understand more about his tribes’ connection with the land.

I had identified this quote earlier in the week for this blog and now it seems even more meaningful. If more of us were able to connect with the spirit of nature and access the wisdom of our ancestors, we would take more care of the miracle which is life.

"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe around us, the less taste we shall have for destruction" - Rachel Carson

Connecting People

So, I wonder, how can this be done? I think, by just getting out there and walking.

Walking and experiencing reality.

Both, in nature and in urban areas,

Along paths, across landscapes.

Walking.

Placing one foot in front of another.

Pacing, breathing and being.

Becoming human again. 

Peace can be found in this way.

Walking.

People to place

Connecting people

Putting peace in place.

Movement

I remember at school, in Biology, learning a mnemonic for a living thing. The word was REMRING. It featured all the factors needed for life. I still remember it today. Respiration, excretion, movement, reproduction, ingestion, nutrition and growth.  Movement is the factor I recognised the other day which was key to my walking project. Ok, it’s obvious now, so it seems a bit silly to have pointed it out, but if I am going to take anything from meeting Nixiwaka, it is a keenness to not judge (as often) and to share (more). The most exciting quote I could relate to whilst writing my MA critical paper was by Francesco Careri. It was about how, as humans we stood up and walked and what it meant to us in the world.

‘…walking takes on a symbolic form that has enabled man to dwell in the world. By modifying the sense of the space crossed, walking becomes man’s first aesthetic act, penetrating the territories of chaos, constructing an order on which to develop the architecture of situated objects. Walking is an art from whose loins spring the menhir, sculpture, architecture, landscape. This simple action has given rise to the most important relationships man has established with the land, the territory.’ Page 20. careri. F. (2009) Walkscapes GG:Spain

Realising that this was the key factor to my project I recognised why Arlette George and I had been introduced. She is a trained dancer and choreographer. Her mastery of movement using the human form will be crucial to us understanding the importance of getting people out there walking. Because using our body as an instrument to sense and experience the world and connect with nature is something that we may have to relearn. To reclaim our territory and to rediscover our sense of place in the communities, in which we live, will require getting out and walking amongst them. In exploring movement as dance and not just walking, I came across this website.

'The Planetary Dance is an annual all-day ritual of healing and community renewal. It brings people of all ages and abilities together in a beautiful setting to dance for a purpose.'

I see the land as needing us to appreciate it, to wonder at all of its resources and recognise our place within it. We are hugely lucky to be living at this time in this place. I believe we need to walk on the land and see its beauty and in connecting to nature in this way, we become part of its system again. The paths can be seen as a metaphor for the future health of the planet and ourselves. Our vascular and respiratory system will improve as we walk more regularly and the flow of people out in nature will allow a deeper understanding of our land.

Then I truly hope we can find our

'Peace in Place'.

(I completed my MA in September 2014 and recorded the last two months of it in another blog called www.thesaltwayfarer.blogspot.co.uk

Please feel free to look at that anytime, as it is from that, that I am where I am now.)

Migration

Migration

World Migratory Bird Day was set up in 2006 by the United Nations. It was initiated to highlight and celebrate migratory birds and the phenomenon of bird migration. A friend told me about WMBD,about a year ago and showed me the marvellous posters that advertise it.

An image from the WMBD website.

We decided to work together on some ‘birdy/journey’ artwork that we could then exhibit and bring this event to the attention of a wider set of people. We thought we could make some sellable artwork too, as the posters were well designed and a marketing tie-in would help us all. Over time this led to another couple of artists joining us and we excitedly watched ‘Winged Migration’ together.

This clip is one of my favourite parts of the film, along with the eerily beautiful vocals from the ‘Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares’.

It is called 'The Return of the Cranes’,

After watching the film, all of us more deeply appreciated the beauty and resilience of birds and the incredible journeys that they take, it  was staggering to realise that some birds fly for thousands of miles at heights of up to 3000 feet!

The Easterly direction from which the Brent Geese came.

We have continued to work together and I feel our artwork on display now, as part of the Canterbury Festival, reflects this wonder of birds, journeys, connectedness and resilience.

As I continued to work on my 'People-to-Place' project, I recognised that the bird/journey artwork was very relevant as I had, in my MA research touched upon human migration and the paths they took to move seasonally from one place to another. These routes were what I was now looking for in the environment, in my bid to reconnect people to the places that they live in. Native peoples would have been more aware of migrations as they had to be more connected to where they lived, for their very survival and so, observed and understood seasonal changes in their environment.  We may have lost that knowledge and understanding as we have ‘evolved’ as a species, but, birds and the sheer endurance required to complete their long migrations filled me with awe.

Brent Geese

On Monday this week, I went with a friend for a long walk along Seasalter beach.

Looking towards the Isle of Sheppey, Seasalter Beach.

As I was walking on the foreshore, I thought I could see the white tops of waves towards the estuary, all along the horizon. It was only when we got closer that we saw the white shapes were in fact white tails of numerous floating birds.

Brent Geese, close to the shore.

They were facing due West, into the wind and were fairly quiet. As we walked back to the car, I asked a birdwatcher what they were. ‘Brent Geese’, he said. ‘All the way from Siberia, they prefer our winters.’ When I looked them up this morning on ‘Google’ that I realised they had flown 2,500 miles, following the coastline from northern Russia.

Could this be their tracks?

They will now be our guests, increasing in numbers up to January, mainly eating the inter-tidal eel grass, Zostera spp. leaving our shores in late February; they fly for over 3 months, to return to the Arctic tundra in June.  My father-in-law regularly digs along the intertidal area of the north Kent coast, (for archaeological finds, not bait), and often tells me of the birds he sees.

Looking for clues.

He goes out when the tide is right, all throughout the year and has become very aware of the passing through of many species of birds. Through his passion for archaeology, he is deeply connected to the tides, seasons and migratory habits of the birds in that area. He knows where the eel grass grows that the Brent geese favour, whether it’s a good year for it and all the other plants that live on the marshes. His regular connection with the landscape has given him specific knowledge of the area.

The sign for the 'Saxon Shore Way' path, leading around the Kent coast.

Journeys

I have always loved a journey; it is the path to the destination and a part of the whole experience. I like to explore a map and plan a route, look for landmarks and feel confident I can find my way home/back. I use the same method whether I am driving a car or walking. (I don’t use sat-nav.)

Sheep following a well worn path.

I feel that movement in itself can be remembered, sometimes as much as the physical landmarks. Walking up a hill will be remembered in the muscles of my body, where it felt easy, where I overstretched, where I rested etc. I wonder whether the physical act of walking along a route regularly enough physically and mentally connects us with the environment.

The choice of paths at Seasalter, along the grass or walking along the seashore.

 

Walking along the beach means having to step over every groyne.

I remember reading while researching for my MA that there is a link with movement and body memory. Just as we know that people can learn in a variety of ways, including kinaesthetic, then the act of walking may in itself allow us to learn whilst moving. I will experiment with this, in the next week I may try to learn a new poem whilst walking the same route regularly.

Close up of a groyne post, often holding small pebble treasures in its weathered wide grain.

I know, as a keen dancer, that the more I know a piece of music, the easier the moves within it become. The journey of the dance is led by the music. The music reminds my body of what way to go and what to do. Again, I think back to the ‘Songlines’, the navigable but invisible tracks in the land that allow Australian aborigines to walk for many hundreds of miles through their homeland.  These Songlines were memorised in an oral and aural tradition and used to tell stories of the earth’s creation. The people would walk the path and journey along the Songlines to a piece of narration in the form of a song, importantly the song is set to the speed of the walk itself. This reminds me of my body’s awareness when I dance. Subconsciously it remembers the music, the movements and the full dance. It is in the physical muscle of the body and in the memory of the sound. The dance movements release or realise the journey of the music.

Journeying

This is something I like to do; it is a deep, rewarding human activity and common practice to all indigenous societies throughout history. To journey in a shamanic way is to visit other landscapes, where the destination is unknown, but a clear intention can bring you to the right place. Shamanic journeys stay vivid in your mind, unlike a dream which is intangible and easy to forget. Listening to the sound of the drum which accompanies journeying allows for a more intense experience which gets into our subconscious mind. I may write more about this another time.

Big sky.

(I completed my MA in September 2014 and recorded the last two months of it in another blog called www.thesaltwayfarer.blogspot.co.uk

Please feel free to look at that anytime, as it is from that, that I am where I am now.)

Autumn

 Autumn

I am going to start this blog with a quote from a friend, Alison Lees, who, as a fellow artist is incredibly sensitive to her surroundings and aware of the changes that the seasons bring.

‘Yesterday as I was outside, I noticed a particular movement in the trees. We looked up and stared and it was very clear, right then and there that Autumn walked in! Amazing and beautiful.’

Autumn always brings with it mixed feelings for me. I am disappointed by the darker shorter days and the general chilliness in the air, but I am enthralled by the beautiful display of colour in the foliage of both the trees and plants.

Early morning autumn sunlight on the wibbly-wobbly walls.

Autumn sunlight is low and sharp. It glows. This morning it shone on the side of our wibbly-wobbly straw bale garden studio and it highlighted the texture of the wall, the brushstrokes of the lime-wash and the beauty of the plum tree in its shadow form.

 

Shadow plum tree on cob rendered walls.

I find this time of year is a good time to focus on the detail, the wonder of it all, as we go into a slower mode of being.

 

Detail.

Autumn slows me down. It feels like there is less time to want to fit ‘it’ all in. I look forward to the darker evenings so that I can get cosy in the house and not expect so much of myself.

Pace

Autumn is my slow down signal. I always used to try and ‘keep the pace’ up at this time, but now I tend to recognise that I need to slow down. If I don’t, I start getting the inevitable cold and cough and then things quickly start to go pear shape. That is one of the great things about walking, it is all about pace. Walking pace is, as a human, our natural speed to observe and understand our surroundings.

Last week I collected my first sweet chestnuts of the season, these were found by remembering where I saw the trees last year, walking up to and around them and looking down into the recent leaf litter and spying the bright green spiky balls. This can't be done virtually, digitally or any other way than to be present. I had to go there myself and seek them out.

One of Jo Barkers harvest mandalas, not chestnuts, but beautiful.

In making this decision to go and harvest these seasons’ gifts I was allowing myself the time and the commitment to be there, to pace myself to the season, to walk, look, recognise and gather. It could be seen as a bit trivial, but I believe the more we engage with the land around us in a seasonal way the more we begin to appreciate our connection with it and nature itself. In this time of gathering in the harvest in preparation for the colder darker days ahead it is only honest to recognise that we too are animals and will need to change our behaviour in tune with the seasons.

Process

It is with interest that I type this word and only just now, realise that that it has two meanings. I was going to write about the process of preparing a body of new work for the imminent Artists Open Studio event that starts next week. But as I wrote the word, I read it as process, as in to ‘walk in procession’. Both are about movement, the first one is a movement of thought that takes ideas through a series of changes to become something else. The ‘walk in procession’, speaks for itself, it is movement.

 

Above are two paintings reflecting the spirit of that place. Top- Canterbury Catherdral, Bottom- St. Margarets' Bay.

The project that I am working on is about how people connect to place through walking. This will involve them encountering exterior space as they walk. Trained as a spatial designer, I know the influence of how an interior space can influence the mood of someone either walking into/through it or spending some time in the space.

Detail of 'Cathedral secrets'. Playful movement.

Just imagine if we all became re-tuned in to our outside environments.

We may be able to recognise the ‘tricks’ of the trade; use of colour, finish, proportion etc that retail designers, for example use on us. We gradually lose this ability to see, the more familiar and safe we feel in that environment. Major supermarket chains use these tricks to allow us to choose our ‘favorite’ store and therefore feel safe enough to spend our money there, on a regular basis. If we were able to learn to recognise, at a walking pace, all that nature, the land and the changing seasons had to offer, we could become much richer without spending a penny!

Playing

The process that I have found to be the most successful with creating a new body of work is very playful. I have looked to my older original paintings to inspire me.

 

'I Dream', original painting.

I have always painted freely. I have never come to the canvas with a preconceived idea of what to paint, I wouldn't know what to choose for a start! I like the meditative quality of painting; the choosing of the colours, the paintbrush size, the way I mix paints together, the flow. So, in looking to my existing paintings for inspiration I came across a series of ‘motifs’ that frequently occur in my work. These are trees, birds and paths.

 

Working with motifs.

So I set out to simplify the originals by tracing over them, creating a basic line drawing from the positive and negative spaces on the canvas.I have written about this way of looking before, 'the space between'.

 

Looking at positive and negative space.

These I reduced down and then used carbon paper to transfer onto another material to colour in. The whole process has been like a form of Chinese whispers. The end result has been a joy to colour in with no overarching angst, just a playful experiment. The pace of the work has suited the season. It has transformed an older image into something simpler, quite new and fresh.

Working from my original designs.

I have started a Facebook page with a pseudonym, why? well why not? It is playful and fun. It can be found here.

Poetry

As the evenings get darker I find that I start to look for good poetry pieces to snuggle up with, as I get cosy. They can be beautiful to look at too, as the next photo shows.

 

These are Native American Lyrics; poetical verse.

I suppose that the words could be seen as processing across the page. Now that’s a thought…

I wanted to leave you with one other, a quote by Yeats but I cant find the correct words, it goes something like this ; to read a good poem in January is equal to a summers walk in June.

But in researching the correct words I came across these instead;

‘We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.’ Robert Sweetgall 

That will do, point made. I am off now for a walk.

(I completed my MA in September 2013 and recorded the last two months of it in another blog called www.thesaltwayfarer.blogspot.co.uk

Please feel free to look at that anytime, as it is from that, that I am where I am now.)