A site-specific installation by Bjørn Wangen. I draw by walking until a path is formed, i.e. a stroke or line. That’s what a drawing artist do, draws lines. The route forms a long winding track. The curve is based on the mean temperature at the site, on a weekly basis from January 2023 and on. I will extend the length of the trail each week until the end of the exhibition period in November 2023. After that, the trail will slowly disappear. The work can be hard to see at a distance. Follow this map on Google and you’ll find...
Where should I go now? Will I find my way? The trail splits in three directions. I’m in trouble. A colleague recalls what I once said: doubt has always been the engine of my work. In the times we live in certainty and facts seem to be the only answer. But art must raise questions, not only on topics, but even on its own becoming and being. I was thinking about this when a woman came by. She had seen a school class walk the trail a couple of days ago. Then she said it reminded her of some lines from...
Video of the trail.
I measured the total length of the path so far. It is now 80 meters long. I’m quite amazed. It’s by far the biggest drawing I’ve ever made. But it is the trace from a persons walking activities which amazes me the most.
I will give a talk on my ongoing work in Löddeköpinge, at the nearby library on Wednesday 13th of September (in Swedish). https://bibliotek.kavlinge.se/evenemang#/events/c044377d-77e3-49d0-9ced-a0c94e28a2af
A huge pool of water has occurred in the recessed area next to the walked line. The area serve as a reservoir in order to prevent flood. Suddenly I got a little lake neighbouring my work. I have been walking a lot these days. I had a nagging feeling that the trail isn’t sufficiently visible. I guess I tried to balance my desire to keep it discreet with some fantasy that it must be fully present. Or I just want to have full control… To my relief a woman came by yesterday and said that the trail is so clearly...
About Participation. A couple came by the other day and said that they have been walking the path many times now. They want to help to keep the trail open. I thanked them and I really appreciate their initiative. Then they said that the line is very narrow and hard to follow. I said that they can widen the path to their liking. I think I heard some hesitation in their answer. Maybe we came very close to a limit between participation and creation, if there is a division between those. Between following a line and the responsibility of shaping...
A man came by and said he had been looking for the trail earlier on (he had read the text on the nearby signpost) but couldn’t find it. The path is almost invisible sometimes, depending on the distance to it, the light conditions at that moment as well as the growth on site, so one has to look carefully after the pathway. I showed him the trail and then we came to talk about statistics. He referred to a fun video on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNboV7Uhg-8 which shows some monkeys (stand-ins for people) who are partying on the results of their efforts...
A lot of walking today, 10 500 steps. It’s interesting that so much is happening with the growth after the rainy days. A lot of different flowers are in bloom. I have extended the path today. I have also added another loop. Many people have asked why there is a loop (now there are two) and what is its connection to temperature? I don’t have a clear answer to that. I guess I want the trail to be, not a temperature curve, but an indication of how high or low the temperature is. More to come on this…
After a long period of draught and hot, sunny weather, there has been a lot of heavy rain. It affects the trail in different ways. The grass gets green and wants to grow of course, and I experience a lot of energy and resistance from the plants. It demands more walking from me to maintain the path. The humidity has also changed the ground in the path a bit. There is only mud in some parts of the path now but there are also many plants which grow in the pathway. I also saw today that the edges have become...
When I walk fast I go with the flow. When I come to the end of the line I go a little bit further, a bit like if braking, slowing down is not part of the (drawing of) the line. The line (and the making of the line) consist of that movement which is the walk. Slowing down is not, so it happens outside of the area where the line is supposed to be (..come). A somewhat similar thing happens when I prolong the line in new, un-walked grass. I know where the line is going to stop, but to...
