A Radical Walk in the Park
The expression ‘a walk in the park’ is often used to describe something simple, pleasant and easy. But what if the simple act of walking in a public green space was a radical act?
In 1982, the German artist and environmental activist, Joseph Beuys issued a challenge to the residents of the city of Kassel, many of whom were still traumatised by World War II. He dumped a pile of inky black basalt stones on the neoclassical lawn in front of the city's public Museum Fridericianum. The act scandalised many, reminding them of the wartime destruction of their city, but Beuys was offering an alternative.
Kassel's residents could take the stones away if they used each one to mark the planting of a tree. His project led to the planting of 7,000 oak trees across the city of Kassel in central Germany. The work, 7000 Eichen (Seven Thousand Oaks), was intended to connect the city's residents by asking them to transform not only their environment, but their society and the structures that had led to the devastating war.
Residents, city planners, gardeners and environmentalists had to work together to pick locations to plant the oak saplings. Inner city areas once marked out for car parks were turned into parks, leafy avenues, and communal green spaces.
With 7000 Oaks, Beuys developed what he called ‘social sculpture’ in which humans and nature interacted in a regenerative gesture. So next time you take a walk in the park, remember how transformative it can be!
The legacy of Beuys’s philosophy of taking art out of the gallery into the city continues in the work of many contemporary artists, including our WALC Confluence guest this week Publiek Park. On Monday 25 November, in our WALC Confluence 5, Anna Luyten from De School van Gaasbeek, will chat to members of Publiek Park about how their nomadic art uses city parks for innovative encounters.
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Writer, walker, digital storyteller, psychogeographer
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Placecloud
Researchers use Placecloud to mark sites of significance with short podcasts.
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2024-12-10 19:00
· Online
POSTPONED - we regret that we are having to postpone this event - a new date will be arranged soon - ticket purchasers will be refunded. Keep reading
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New walking pieces
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‘Bayt Yakan’ is a collection of field recordings that mark and map the essence of restored historic house in Cairo, Egypt. The album features 5 edited recordings of playback sound performance walks recorded within the walls of Bayt Yakan, revealing the relationship between sound, environment, and heritage. Keep reading
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Upcoming events
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2024-11-24 06:00
· Online
AWA'S November meeting is at a special time, 5:00 pm, Sunday 24 November AEDT to accommodate overseas times for guest artist Luca Idrobo who will talk about his wa... Keep reading
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2024-11-25 18:30
· Online
Anna Luyten introduces the Belgian nomadic contemporary art project Publiek Park, which explores public city parks and gardens as its exhibition grounds. The projec... Keep reading
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From our network
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Dans la traversée d’une zone nuageuse, ponctuée de turbulences et d’avaries à répétition, je reprends tant bien que mal le cours des choses. Je le fais naturellemen... Keep reading
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For decades I’ve heard artists say their art does the talking for them. As someone who likes to write, putting together an artist or work statement has never a prob... Keep reading
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In Mother Tongue, Mimi Kunz tells the story of her daughter’s birth and first year of life. Through her poetry and painting, she meditates on the question “So what’... Keep reading
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The collaborative artist book “Tack – Tack” (by Alexandra Huddleston and Wilma Vissers) will be available at the Dublin Art Book Fair : Nov 21 – Dec 1 Keep reading
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Between October 25 and 27, 2024, the WALC partners came together in Gaasbeek, Belgium, not too far from the capital Brussels. Keep reading
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The London-based Natural History Museum has put together a sound walk for its new gardens, designed with blind and visually impaired audiences in mind. In it, you h... Keep reading
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WALC
Walking Arts & Local Communities (WALC) is an artistic cooperation project, co-funded by the European Union, Creative Europe, starting in January 2024 for four years. With seven partners from five countries, WALC establishes an International Center for Artistic Research and Practice of Walking Arts, in Prespa, Greece, at the border with Albania and North Macedonia, backed up by an online counterpart in the format of a digital platform for walking arts.
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Between October 25 and 27, 2024, the WALC partners came together in Gaasbeek, Belgium, not too far from the capital Brussels. Keep reading
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2024-11-25 18:30
· Online
Anna Luyten introduces the Belgian nomadic contemporary art project Publiek Park, which explores public city parks and gardens as its exhibition grounds. The projec... Keep reading
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950 people participated, distributed across 30 different nationalities, from four continents Source: “Freedom” was in the air during the three days of the “Barão de... Keep reading
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The much talked about Johnny Cash Trail will have its very first feature transform from a concept into reality next week. The City of Folsom will unveil the Source:... Keep reading
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Featured at November’s 2nd Friday Art Walk, local artist and business owner Leah Vincent showcased a series of paintings, sharing her emotions as a runner and her l... Keep reading
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