Hanna from fema artist collective wrote about the exercise and its backgrounds the group has used in their artistic practice about walking backwards in urban space. The text is also a proposal for the content of the academic project "Repository of Methods".
Here below you can find the task. You can try it out in the outdoor space of your choice.
Here below you can find the task. You can try it out in the outdoor space of your choice.
Walking backwards
1. Choose a place to start walking. Then choose a path and direction: You can choose for example a street, a passage or a sidewalk. Maybe it is good to choose an area that is familiar to you beforehand. If you don’t want too much a challenge it is good to choose a path where there are no road crossings. Choose also the side of the street that is allowed for pedestrians. Decide also beforehand where you are going to finish your walk.
2. Start walking backwards. Choose a calm enough pace so that your steps are stable. At times you can look back or you can challenge yourself to sense backwards without watching.
3. Sense how walking backwards feels for you. Make observations while walking.
4. Make observations about your surroundings while walking.
5. Stop walking in the end point.
1. Choose a place to start walking. Then choose a path and direction: You can choose for example a street, a passage or a sidewalk. Maybe it is good to choose an area that is familiar to you beforehand. If you don’t want too much a challenge it is good to choose a path where there are no road crossings. Choose also the side of the street that is allowed for pedestrians. Decide also beforehand where you are going to finish your walk.
2. Start walking backwards. Choose a calm enough pace so that your steps are stable. At times you can look back or you can challenge yourself to sense backwards without watching.
3. Sense how walking backwards feels for you. Make observations while walking.
4. Make observations about your surroundings while walking.
5. Stop walking in the end point.