Walking as an Artistic Practice Event at RCA - Andy Ash Artist

I was pleased to perform today at the second Royal College of Art Creative Education Network event.

Walking Together, Looking Together, Making Together (2025).

This work explores what happens at the intersection of conceptual art, outdoor spaces and compassion for our local environment. I want to introduce walking as an artistic practice and use the workshop as a space to play - to inquire, to research, to make. Walking pedagogy, walking as artistic practice – is something I presently do, on the South Downs, the sea front, Sussex Bay, Shoreham Port, in parks and in the city of Brighton – it disrupts conventional notions of categorising - questions, challenges, and re-images perceived norms. I am inquiring into curating moments and developing compassion. The word curate from Medieval Latin curatus "one responsible for the care (of souls)," from Latin curatus, past participle of curare "to take care of" (see cure (v.)). I am interested here in how we as artists can develop moments to take care of places/cities. How we manage and take care of our spaces. The word curation (n) late 14c., curacioun, "curing of disease, restoration to health" from Old French curacion "treatment of illness," from Latin curationem (nominative curatio), "a taking care, attention, management," especially "medical attention", noun of action from past-participle stem of curare "to cure" (see cure (v.)). From 1769 as "management, guardianship." Our cities needs attention, they needs curing and by developing acts of looking I hope we can restore, hope we develop compassion. The word compassion (n) comes from "feeling of sorrow or deep tenderness for one who is suffering or experiencing misfortune", mid-14c., compassioun, literally "a suffering with another" from Late Latin compassionem (nominative compassio) "sympathy" noun of state from past-participle stem of compati "to feel pity" from com "with, together" (see com-) + pati "to suffer" (see passion). To be interconnected will enable us to suffer with, a sharing of suffering with another, and to feel sympathy together for our environment.

This curated participatory intervention will invite the participants to actively play with space and ideas, utilising everyday actions such as speaking, making and walking. By reworking the form and function of these spaces (gardens, shoreline, parks) participatory interventions facilitate dialogue around things like value systems, relationships, public space, prescribed practices of being which may inspire expand ways of considering and relating to materials, environments, spaces and people – to be compassionate together.

Both art, my art and mobiles sites of pedagogy ‘unintentional in normative environments encourage discovery and transformative experience’. We are to look slowly, to inquiry carefully, examine small wonders, a microcosm of everyday things, and develop compassion and awe for our cities.