ABOUT SLOW WALK FAST

The SLOW WALK FAST – Proxy Walk series was inspired by the relationship between the creative process and sobriety and my interest in walking as an art medium. In scope, the mechanics and process of performing this piece examine concepts of proxy and agency, relational aesthetics through dialogue and intuitive speculation, and the visual representation of the temporal. Originally intended to target issues of addiction and sobriety, the purpose was extended to be more inclusive, to welcome participants with any topic of their choosing. 

The project mission: Create and perform a walking piece series as a service for others to gain expanded perspective on a desired topic, facilitating meaningful, relational connections safely within the context of social-distancing due to COVID-19.

One cycle, working with one person from start to finish, ideally takes around one week each without overlapping. In the simplest terms, I perform a walk on behalf of a person interested in expanding their perspective regarding a particular topic, goal, wish or dream. The principal (inverse of proxy - from here on out referred to as participant) doesn’t have to do anything but provide the topic for consideration and agree to hear my interpretation of the themes from the walk when I am done. I perform the walk and intuitively ‘read’ the trail for the participant and interpret in a process similar to dream analysis.  As I walk the trail, I am hyper-attentive to notice as much as possible. Any and every rock, stick, bird, smell, gust of wind, sound or thought might mean something significant to the participant and their relationship to the subject and could hold a key to a crucial understanding. While on the trail, I record the walk through a GPS app, and through photos and video. When I finish a walk, I write, in list form, as much as I can remember about the experience, then set a date with the participant for the post-walk review, leaving myself enough time to synthesize the information and create all the graphic assets – an intro card, stats card, a composite that stiches all the photos into one image and a strip that includes text paraphrasing the metaphors revealed in the walk. These four steps complete the cycle – 1) Request, 2) Walk, 3) Documentation, and 4) The Reading/post-walk conversation or recording.

The SLOW WALK FAST – Proxy Walk series is titled to connect the idea of fasting with the act of walking with purpose. To break it down further, these words together indicate the interplay of several concepts.  SLOW insinuates the quality of mindfulness, attention and care required in performing this project. WALK defines the base-action being performed as a mediating device. FAST refers to the act of fasting, used here to extend beyond common notions of denying food, drink, substances and behaviors for a specified period to imply my intention to set-aside preconceived ideas about a person or particular topic, a detachment from ego or ‘self’ throughout the course of a cycle in order to most effectively perform the role of PROXY.