Related
It’s the winners of Marŝarto25
The Marŝarto25 shortlist reflected a wide and compelling field of walking practices, demonstrating how walking continues to operate as a critical, poetic, and socially embedded artistic method. Across a range of geographies, durations, and intentions, the shortlisted works shared an understanding of walking as a way of thinking with the world: attentive to landscape, community,
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Related
It’s the winners of Marŝarto25
The Marŝarto25 shortlist reflected a wide and compelling field of walking practices, demonstrating how walking continues to operate as a critical, poetic, and socially embedded artistic method. Across a range of geographies, durations, and intentions, the shortlisted works shared an understanding of walking as a way of thinking with the world: attentive to landscape, community,
• • +5 From Mountain to Sea is a 220 km artwork creating a new walking route across Aberdeenshire — from Ben Macdui to the North Sea at Peterhead. Conceived as part of Scotland’s Covid-19 Memorial programme, this lasting path that now serves as a living memorial across the Shire.
Over two years, more than 200 people joined me to walk and talk about how the pandemic affected their lives. With me I carried a pink table cloth, the colour of an OS map. At each place, the cloth was laid for picnic, tea, cake and conversation; over time, this became embroidered with participants’ signatures and messages — a tactile record of connection and care.
Benches made by Street Furniture Maker Chris Nangle and tunes composed by Fiddler Paul Anderson mark stages of the journey, inviting others to sit, listen and reflect. An illustrated map and a short film document the route, making it accessible to future walkers and communities.
Following Patrick Geddes’s “Valley Section” principle, the walk connects mountain, farmland and coast — mapping both geography and emotion. It celebrates resilience, remembrance and the power of walking together.
From Mountain to Sea endures as a new walking route as an evolving artwork that links people, place and memory.
Credits
As lead artist I was responsible for the project. During the course of the project I have also worked with:
Helen Leigh who made the short illustrative film.
Scottish fiddler Paul Anderson who created ca 30 tunes for the route.
Street furniture maker Chris Nangle who created 8 benches for the route.
Mark Samouelle who designed the illustrated map.
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