Silent walk//
[Narrativators] //
2016
[Narrativators]
A guided silent walk through the City of York, the duration and length of which were determined by a list of rules. Narrativators began as a naïve investigation of the city. But, rather then finding sense in any observation and silence, the walk became more of an exploration into group dynamics and the ‘personal’ (the internal thought process).
Using the guide of Narrativators from Jules Dorey Richmond’s practice, below are a series of photos and individual reflections into our findings:
Richmond, 2010
James
(Walking)
Narrativator text, thoughts on walking.
A reflection on a walk I once took. It was a miserable day; we set out in single file going into the centre of York. We (narrativators) had been given tasks to go out with a series of blank post cards, a post card with a near perfects heart on it, and were reminded to use our phone cameras. I didn’t know what to think really – I just couldn’t make sense of it, were we meant to follow these tasks step-by-step or were we meant to think outside of the box and do something totally different? But still, I persisted. We came along side a new modern building that merged into the ancient city that once stood. Our first task was at 10 minutes; write 3 short sentences about what we could see (postcard). I took pen to paper, like all good writers before me, not saying I’m brilliant, but we all like to think we do our best. Birch Hall food service van was to the right of me, scattered all around were tourists like marbles. Behind me the great tree, an epicentre of life running alongside of us – seen but not acknowledged, cast off because it is not like the human race. That was the point wasn’t it? To observe something new? We pondered on to 20 minutes, write three short sentences about how you are feeling (postcard)! At 30, take one photograph of where you are now. I followed these tasks religiously. It was only until I got to 60 minutes, find the heart of York, it became clear that this is what it was all about. The task of following instructions forced you to find something that you didn’t know existed. The verbal heart of society, the heart of York.
Imogen
I am not a quiet person, by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t normally choose to be silent. So this was an eye opening experience for me and something that, on reflection, I particularly enjoyed. Even though the three of us walked together, we were very much on our own and in our own worlds. We noticed different things, we explored different things and we walked different paths on the same route.
During the walk I was very aware of the hurdles that come with being silent. Not being able to directly communicate with my walking partners, the worry of seeing someone you know and attempting to explain what you are doing; the all-round practicality of being silent.
When travelling on foot I have a tendency to look down, watching the ground as I go around. Walking around at a slower pace you are forced to look up. I noticed many features of York that I had not seen before. Small details that we glide past, original features of the top of older buildings in the city, a version of York we don’t see, found by simply looking up.
This walk was a task based exercise. As the clock ticked by, so did we. When were asked to simply pick out there things that we saw, it was so interesting to actually see the things around us, things we always walk past. I noticed doorways and entrances that I have never seen before, doorways that I regularly walk by.
The task that was most poignant to me was spending time thinking on the line “Why is it hard to say goodbye”. This led me to this idea of leaving a piece of you in everything you’ve loved. Contemplation of what I have left behind in the places that I have loved. I have left friends, family, memories, and gifts. I thought back to the places that I have loved. What I think about within those places that makes it so hard to say goodbye, but also why I would be saying goodbye; what would be stopping me from going back.
Alex
Tasks
10 Minutes (3 sentences, what do you see)
· A man squatting to take a picture, I am drawn to the angle of the body, looking up.
· Posing for pictures in the landscape with umbrellas, still and looking, people looking at them as they look up in the lense.
· A woman carrying two large cartons of milk; they are heavy. They adjust her posture, weighing her down on the right-hand side. They have changed the way she would usually walk.
20 minutes (3 sentences, what do you feel)
· Solemn (It is a grey day)
· Distant and removed
· Thirsty
30 minutes (take a photo)
· The bridge.
40 minutes (a memory of a place)
· It looks a bit like Amsterdam or Venice, the light, a kind of purple in the water. I am looking at the water. The colours of the scene like a watercolour. Purple and green. A traditional scene with ducks in the river, like being somewhere you know but knowing that it is not the place you remember.
50 minutes (Find the heart of York)
· The puddles on the floor, reflect the sky, looking down they are like mirrors. I’m standing in the tree tops, the roofs, the clouds that are above us. The standing water is a gateway to the space above. By looking down I see what is above me. I walk on the edges of the trees. I see the heart of York reflected, I look down to see what is up.
Observations
Doorways to nowhere, walking up the steps to be met with nothing. A closed-door. How many doors are closed in the city? The doorways that are never used, the steps that I climbed only to be descended straight after.
Things that reflect on the floor; the discarded ring pull of an aluminium can, a chocolate wrapper stuck to the pavement, mirrors that reflect what is above. The reflection of the sky and standing water.
Imogen //
The Heart of the City: The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter (The York Minster)
James //
The Heart of the City: The fountain
Alex //
The Heart of the City: Kings square