The 42 walks of Contención Island

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Walking piece details

From the start of the UK’s lockdown, every day I walked from my house, for 20 minutes in any and all directions; I mapped my route and recorded my walking. My walking had made Contención Island (contención is containment in Esperanto – an international name for an international pandemic) – and the walking became exploration of my island. I walk until easing begins – 42 days. You hear sequential sections of the daily recordings that move – along the route of the daily walks – across the six weeks – along with lines from daily poems.

in the covid-19 pandemic containment slows spread locked down for six weeks take one period of exercise a day forty-five minutes of walking walk in any and every direction walking while contained walk on Contención Island walking maps a fantastical island listen to the walks listen to six weeks listen to forty-two days listen to lockdown walk in your imagination the isle is full of noises sounds and sweet airs sounds drift sounds carry sounds flow rivers of sound flow one river runs its course across the southern grasslands to tumble into south haven Contención’s distant thunder another joins it, in from the north spating, roaring, seething along a lost river crosses the island to flow out by skerries in the south east a lowland vale links south and north haven at the mouth of north haven church point, remote and peaceful the north west peninsula is quiet in the north west is convent shield a refuge, where birds sing above the bench walk a conjured coastline by Oswald’s Bay – too exposed to offer safe mooring by rocky bays between Saint Nicholas’ point and the Cow Head cliffs back along the long dunes of the south return, reverse, retrace walk pace step stride another day walking on Contención Island

The full versions of the walks are all available at https://martinpeccles.com/other-sound-works/the-42-walks-of-contencion-island/ along with the daily poem (a mesostic) and the emerging map of the island.