Meaning, mapping and making of landscape

Architectural Review, The, Jan, 2004 by Jeremy Melvin

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HAMISH FULTON: BIODIVERSITY, WALKING IN RELATION TO EVERYTHING ...

It would seem there are two possibilities for so-called 'Landscape' art: painting, from the past, and outdoor sculpture in the present. However, the starting place of my own art is the experience of walking ... and walking is not an art material. In terms of self-imposed rules this means every piece of art I make is the result of a specific walk. From 1970 to the present I have made 238 identifiable walks, walking from one full day to 64 consecutive days. The longest distance I have walked is 2838km and the highest altitude I have climbed to is 8175m.) To outline my ideas I would like to present the following statements. Each small concentration of words implies larger issues.

IRRESPECTIVE OF ITS APPEARANCE 'CONTEMPORARY ART' IS A NECESSARY 'POLITICAL' FORCE IN SOCIETY.

WALKING CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. (CONVERT ROADS FOR CARS--INTO PATHS FOR WALKERS AND CYCLISTS?)

TO BE COMMITTED TO WALKING MEANS--TO SLOW DOWN TO THE PACE OF WALKING ...

A WALK CAN EXIST LIKE AN INVISIBLE OBJECT IN A COMPLEX WORLD. (WALKING--CUTS A LINE THOUGH TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY LIFE.)

Q. WHAT KIND OF ART COULD RESULT FROM A WALK?

A. ART INSTALLED ONTO THE FLATNESS OF EXISTING ARCHITECTURE. (A FILM ... A WALK TEXT AS AN URBAN BILLBOARD. WALK TEXTS ETCHED INTO GLASS FOR WINDOWS. WALK TEXTS CAST IN IRON AND SUNK INTO PAVEMENTS.

WALKING IS AN 'EXPERIENCE'. CONSEQUENTLY, THE RESULTING ART COULD BE PRODUCED IN ANY MEDIUM OR SITUATION.

REPEATABLE ART REQUIRING NO TRANSPORT (MUSICAL NOTATION ON THE NET) OR, NON-REPEATABLE ART REQUIRING TRANSPORTATION (CARGO JET POLLUTION) OR, REPEATED UNTRANSPORTABLE ART? (AUSTRALIAN FIRST NATION CAVE PAINTINGS.) WALKABOUT ...

THE STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS OF ART IS THAT IT'S ALL ABOUT OPINIONS.

THE PRICE 1 PAY FOR NOT MIMICKING 'NATURE' IS THAT I RECORD ALL MY WALKS IN WORDS.

THERE ARE NO WORDS IN 'NATURE'.

AN ARTWORK CANNOT RE-PRESENT THE EXPERIENCE OF A WALK.

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EVERY THING IS (MADE OF) SOMETHING--AND ALL 'CONTEMPORARY ART' IS URBAN.

ABSENT. THE LOCATION OF THE WALK IS NOT IN THE GALLERY AND THE WALK ITSELF IS A PAST EVENT.

AN OBJECT CANNOT COMPETE WITH AN EXPERIENCE.

WALKING IS PRACTICAL NOT THEORETICAL.

A WALK HAS A LIFE OF ITS OWN--A BEGINNING AND AN END.

WALKING INTO THE DISTANCE BEYOND IMAGINATION.

ONCE A WALK HAS BEEN COMPLETED, IT CANNOT BE DESTROYED.

A WALK, IS AN INVISIBLE MONUMENT TO 'TIME' ('LANDSCAPE' ART SHOULD ENCOMPASS MORE THAN JUST THE HISTORY OF ART.)

WHEN WALKING AND CAMPING ALONE, I ATTEMPT TO PRACTISE THE 'WILDERNESS' ETHIC OF LEAVE-NO-TRACE.

IN THE COURSE OF PRODUCING MY ARTWORKS I USE ONLY COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS.

IN 2003: CREATE EMPLOYMENT, BUT DESTROY A 'WILDERNESS'? THE HUMAN ENERGY SOURCE FOR SOLVING THIS DILEMMA IS--OUR SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH 'NATURE'.

THE RIGHTS OF NATURE? ON MY WALKS I DO NOT REARRANGE THE 'LANDSCAPE' OR ORGANIZE THE REMOVAL, SALE AND NONRETURN OF 'FOUND-NATURAL-OBJECTS' THEREBY TERMINATING THEIR NEIGHBOURHOOD LIFE INFLUENCED BY SUNLIGHT, WIND AND RAIN.