Sally Stenton Artist

Walks with[out] edges

In November 2020 a year of  weekly walks began with people walking at the same time in different places with a shared, simple non-instructional title.

We walked at 7.30am (UK time) on Tuesday mornings.

Contributions of words, drawings and photos etc are fused together into a collage each week by one of the walkers.

Click on the red arrow to see the collages, prompts and feedback.

The final walk  ‘A walk that is a giant hug’ took place on 26th October 2021.

The 52 collages were collaged together and overlain with the prompts. This collective collage was printed onto fabric and exhibited in Watford Museum in April. The walks were worn as a sari by Pragya Bhargava for the opening of the ‘Between Two Doors’ exhibition and cut into scarves for people to take with them on their walks.

An x-ray walk

Collage by Rosemary Raine

Walk No. 1   A walk between the soft and the harsh

Collage by Aya Hastwell

Walk No. 2  A walk from one smell to another

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 3  A walk that moves in a way that is on the edges of walking

Collage by Pragya Bhargava

Walk No. 4  A walk that edges closer to nature

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 5  A walk that notices how air crosses the edge of the body when you breathe

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 6  A walk that turns irritation into pleasure

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 7  A walk that has no external way of gauging what the time is

Collage by Sandy Layton

Walk No. 8  A walk with an imaginary friend

Collage by Svetlana Atlavina

Walk No. 9  A walk that feels the breeze on the edges of the body

Collage by Paul Galwas

Walk No. 10  A walk with curves

Collage by Pragya Bhargava

Walk No. 11  A walk with the edges of colour

Collage by Sylwia Dylewska

Walk No. 12  A walk that disappears into the distance

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 13  A walk with pattern

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 14  A walk that moves something from one place to another

Collage by Sandy Layton

Walk No. 15  A walk beyond the visual edges of the space

Collage by Rosemary Raine

Walk No. 16  An energetic walk

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 17  A walk with corners

Collage by Paul Galwas

Walk No. 18  A walk where edges soften

Collage by Pragya Bhargava

Walk No. 19  A walk with changing textures

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 20  A walk that drifts into dreams

Collage by Rosemary Raine

Walk No. 21  A walk that smiles

Collage by Judy Nakazato

Walk No. 22  A walk that notices the edges of technology

Collage by Aya Hastwell

Walk No. 23  A walk that makes decisions

Collage by Paul Galwas

Walk No. 24  A walk that gets inside you

Collage by Chris and Sally Stenton

Walk No. 25  A walk that traces the edges of a shape

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 26  A walk that sees below the surface of the earth

Collage by Aya Hastwell

Walk No. 27  A walk that laughs at itself

Collage by Sandy Layton

Walk No. 28  A timeless walk

Collage by Rosemary Raine

Walk No. 29  A walk with the edges of sound

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 30  A walk with orange edges

Collage by Paul Galwas

Walk No. 31  A walk that is an exchange

Collage by Svetlana Atlavina

Walk No. 32  A walk that unfolds

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 33  A walk with the rough and the smooth

Collage by Pragya Bhargava

Walk No. 34  A walk that pauses at the edge

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 35  A walk appreciated by the all the cells in the body

Collage by Rosemary Raine

Walk No. 36  A walk between the edges of time

Collage by Aya Hastwell

Walk No. 37  A walk that breathes in its surroundings

Collage by Paul Galwas

Walk No. 38  An x-ray walk

Collage by Rosemary Raine

Walk No. 39  A walk that feels the edges of shadows

Collage by Ludmila

Walk No. 40  A walk through the eyes of a child

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 41  A walk that draws on you

Collage by Aya Hastwell

Walk No. 42  A zig-zag walk

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 43  A walk with past lives

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 44  A walk on the edge of someone else’s walk

Collage by Sally Stenton

Walk No. 45  A walk that lets go

Collage by Aya Hastwell

Walk No. 46  A walk with a glass walking stick

Collage by Pragya Bhargava

Walk No. 47  A walk that makes your feet dance

Collage by Paul Galwas

Walk No. 48  An astronomical walk

Collage by Rosemary Raine

Walk No. 49  A walk where feelings change

Collage by Pragya Bhargava

Walk No. 50  A walk from the familiar to the unknown

Collage by Diane Perry

Walk No. 51  A playful walk

Collage by Svetlana Atlavina

Walk No. 52  A walk that is a giant hug

Collective collage [in progress]

Who is walking and where?

Pragya,   Gurugram, India

Sandy,   Wimbledon, London, UK

Sarah,   Balham, London, UK

Aya,   Watford, UK  and Almaty, Kazakhstan  

Svetlana,   Wembley, London, UK

Judy,   Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK

Rosemary,   Birmingham, UK

Chrisoula,   Cardiff, Wales

Diane,   Bath/Coventry, UK

Julia, Cheshunt, Herts   UK

Sylwia,   Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK

Niki,   Norwich, UK

Ean,   Indiana, US

Ceyda,   Ankara, Turkey

Paul,    St.Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK

Sally,    St.Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK

Chris,   St.Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK

Yvonne, Vetralla, Viterbo, Italy

Meltem, Istanbul, Turkey

Feyza, St Louis, US

The walks take place at 7.30am (UK time),wherever people are. Not everyone walks every week and sometimes people will walk at different times, so it’s very free and easy! We are not connected via technology whilst walking.

Comments from participants

“The freedom breeds creativity as it is more relaxed. There is a sense of connection, togetherness in isolation.”

“Having a walking theme changes the process, and we start noticing the world around us differently.”

“I always loved walking, but it became a lonely practice for me last year as I separated from my husband, and there was a lockdown. When I was invited to participate in the project, it helped to feel connected with other people even though we still did the walks on our own. It brought a structure and purpose to the walk and allowed me to see the world around me differently.” 

“Walking with an elderly dog restricts my routes but the prompts have added new zest to old walks.  I am enlivened. It’s not just the walk itself, but being able to see how others have responded and the way people’s experiences are fused together through the collages. My self confidence has increased with the learning of new skills to participate in the composition of collages.” 

“It was as though when walking my body was telling me of a different reality, from the reality of restriction and isolation, one where I was able to move freely when and where I wanted to.  I also had a sense that I was not alone as there was a group of us walking at the same time and day every week. I am sure this helped me to feel less depressed during lockdown.” 

“I enjoy the cultural collaboration that our walks facilitate.  They also provide a platform for creativity. I enjoy photographing nature so it’s wonderful to be a part of a like-minded community. Since we are provided with a topic each week, it encourages me to think outside the box.” 

“The project has given me the incentive and encouragement to develop creative confidence, especially through collage makings and the written word, within a broad international social context and the flexible framework. The weekly themes give the regular stimulus of a shared endeavour to walk and observe albeit familiar surroundings from multiple and varied perspectives.” 

“They’ve really made me feel connected, and have motivated me on days where I’ve felt more lazy. The collages are also always a pleasant surprise – I wonder about them, and look forward to Mondays to see them, and whatever inspiring walk theme there is next.”

“Deepening awareness”

“I have found that the walks have helped me connect with a community of people with whom I would never have had the chance to connect . Having been busy running a charity and delivering social care  services all through the pandemic I found it gave me the chance to step out of the world of work and into a world of peace and thoughts and ideas. It’s been a marvellous experience.”

“The model and how it has been put together is something, a framework that others can use to create….for other community projects.”

“The project reframes the walks even if the same route is taken each day – it makes each walk a different walk.”