Are you Listening?

A Video and a Photo diary

A walk in Battersea Park for the Chelsea Fringe

As we take part in interventions on our route and listen  to poetry readings we knot handmade ropes as a record of the emotions we feel as we walk.

These ropes are attached to the Vara at the end of the walk.The Vara is covered in a weave hand made on an inkle loom.The design of the weave created by Elspeth (Billie) Penfold as a response to the place and walking event.

 The knots attached to the Vara.

A photo diary

House keeping : stay together, pace of walk  



photography , Anna Bowman, with thanks.

Introduce walkers to each other

      

Introduce Flags , work and play scrapstore - opportunity to discuss , look and touch.

Introduce Lucy Claire  , setting up to record the soundscape

Introduce walk :  a derive of sorts…

We will be visiting sites chosen by artists who wish to have their work located there specifically . So we will set of to find these places.

Pump gallery, an invitation to participate in an action to HUMMMMMM, an action led  by Billie 

   









    Listen to the trees, an action by Billie 

     

  





 Go with your creative flow an invitation by Julia Riddiough at the Barbara Hepwort sculpture, enacted by Laura Shawyer

        

    

 A Listening exercise (  listen draw what you can hear) lino print map by Billie

     

     


  London Calling by Julia Riddiough at The peace Pagoda enacted by Billie

These interspersed with poetry readings. 

"Blackbird poems"  en route 
sent by Owen Lowery ,
read by Virginia Fitch intermittently at various stops during the walk.

'A Late Blackbird'
'Listening to Blackbirds as You Fly Out'
'Blackbird at the Stretton Fox'

with thanks to Owen Lowery




Susan reads 'My Heart Leaps Up when I Behold' by William Wordsworth.

 Susan Sciama reads ' Volcanic Ash' by Susan Sciama

a flag by Saffron Saidi, using materials from the Work and Play Scrapstore. She used plastics, Saffron writes:

 " I tried to keep it simple 3 colour blue pallet and include plastic of all kinds which you often find in rivers as a result of littered pollution, I think the theme of plastic flowers, waves and texture created within the flag remind me of the sea, netting, plastic and ribbon to represent the natural movement."

You can view the slideshow/ video here

Some Notes:

Why Listening?

Cecilia Vicuña performance by the Mapocho in 1970, Listen to the River

  “ the water wants to be heard . Everything is falling apart because of a lack of connections. Weaving is the connection that is missing , the connection between people and themselves , people and nature. Life is a winding adventure. At times it is rough , at others, calm and peaceful. Life, in a lot of ways is like a river.” (Cecilia Vicuña)

As I prepared ideas for the walk , I started with a focus on the river as a metaphor for our relationship wit the environment . However, as time continued and I attended talks and events, walked by the river and spoke with contributing artists the emphasis shifted on our need to listen to the earth and the world around us.

This walk has poetry readings and actions that draw our attention to the environment that t surrounds us and how we might consider listening to it.

Owen Lowery Blackbird poems. Virginia Fitch  reading his poems at various points as we walk.

Poem by Owen Lowery read by Virginia

 Hummmmm :  Courtyard of the Pump House , stand in a circle, our first action to consider how we can listen to our surroundings.

OSE     (Resonance and the museum Claire le Croeut ) The world is the repository/ museum , our legacy which we leave behind.

(Bill Viola considered the idea of materials having a unique sonic signature or voice that he describes as “ a second shadow existence,)
and a Quote Pythagoras “ told his followers that a stone is frozen music  - he understood the universe to be organised as a system of mathematical harmony - he believed in the healing power of music."

We Hummmmmmmmm to the courtyard in a circle at Pump House Gallery.

Walk to trees  —- use ‘can’ action, a conversation between two trees in the park.

Poem by Owen Lowery read by Virginia

 Barbara Hepworth 

Orange knotted rope

Anottal seeds

Julia riddiough ' Go with your Creative flow' … all hold orange knotted rope. 

Meditation and visualisation

Poem by Owen Lowery

 Listen and draw sounds Walk around the lake , find a space for action 

Introduce Sumak Kawsay , give booklets..

Read Volcanic Ash - Susan Sciama

Poem by Owen Lowery

peace pagoda …

 action Julia Riddiough, ' London Calling' , The Clash 1979

A protest poem, song and shout out concept by Julia Riddiough enacted by Billie Penfold and fellow walkers.


S.O.S recorded by Julia Riddiough in Deal.

End 





A soundscape of this walk: Are you Listening?

Are You Listening?