Vito Acconci and Francis Alÿs are two examples of artists that turn actions and movements into a form of art. I drew inspiration from Francis Alÿs work “Collectors” and “The Green Line” to also turn something as simple as walking into a form of art. The idea of leaving your mark behind while walking stood out to me, so I began brainstorming ideas on how I could create my own version of Francis Alÿs walking installations.
I wanted to document my journey of walking without actually leaving a permanent footprint behind in an environment. Artists Janine Antoni and Paul Ramirez Jones created a piece of walking art called “Migration” where they walked along the beach and matched each others footprints, which I thought was a perfect way to document a journey which will not be a permanent mark. From this, I came up with my idea of walking along the beach and recording the journey, but also like in Francis Alÿs work “Collectors”, I picked up each natural item on the beach along the way.
My actions and movement in art piece represents that you can walk without leaving a permanent mark on the environment. It also captures all of the little things that you may miss on something as simple as a walk, if you don’t take in the environment around you.
Experimental Practices Art Journal 