Forward Footing - A Postcard from London Road

Carole Miles and Jo Dacombe went for a walk along London Road in Stoke-on-Trent as their of their Forward Footing project. The walk took place on the afternoon of Tuesday 14 April, and was called A Postcard from London Road. 

For this walk we teamed up with another artist, Dan Thompson who has spent a year exploring London Road and is writing a book based on his discoveries, you can read about the walk, see what we did and who we met on our blog here.

We also have some other dates shaping up including NW Leicestershire, keep checking this page for the full list of dates and updates.

If you would like to come on a walk or need more information, please email us at milesanddacombe@virginmedia.com

Images from the walks are now being collated on our gallery Flickr page. 

AirSpace Walking Encyclopaedia Exhibition

During our scoping day before the Light Walks Further Afield Residential Jo Dacombe and I discovered a ghost hotel. The gates were closed, the car park was empty and the grass in the hotel garden reached up over the seats, peeping through the tables. After the residential ended, we returned to create a temporary intervention - Half Beech. A magnificent copper beech tree beckoned to us and we wrapped her with orange ribbon you can see the photo set here

We submitted two stills as one piece - Half Beech to the AirSpace Gallery Walking Encyclopaedia Exhibition, along with our Light Walks For Dark Days film and other walking artifacts. The ever resourceful Jo Dacome delivered the work and her work in walking arts practice with Sidelong and Miles and Dacombe was highlighted by exhibition curator Glen Stoker when she was selected as one of their Walking Artists of the Day. 

My travelling wings have been a bit clipped recently but I was very keen to see the exhibition and the concurrent exhibition Paths of Variable Resistance by Tim Knowles. I got there the Saturday before the exhibition closed and here is a sample of what I saw:-

There was such a wealth of documentation about artists engaged in inspirational walking practice it felt good to be part of the creative footfall. 

AirSpace - A Dérive

A Saturday dérive to the AirSpace Gallery and Yarden in Hanley, where I saw a lovely tent by Kate Lynch, heard a great talk about an Artists Retreat to Lower Parkamoor at Grizedale Arts. 

Inspiring and thought provoking day.

The Art House Co Op Chronicle Project - The Day

The Art House Co Op Chronicle Project - recording my chosen 24 hours. Initially I thought I would I choose the Miles & Dacombe Light Walk day at Sywell Country Park as we would be taking lots of photographs and making a map. But then it seemed a bit lazy to record the event twice so I decided to chronicle the 24 hours from 12 pm May 4th - 12 pm May 5th. May 5th saw us making a day trip to see relatives in Stoke-on-Trent. I noted down times and events but not thoughts or emotions to use as the starting point for my Chronicle artwork.

Chronicle in notes and images

Sleeping

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 23:00 to 01:30

Continue sleeping

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 01:30 to 02:00

Still sleeping

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 02:00 to 03:00

Dog wants to look at the moon

(it may not be this exact moon)

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 03:00 to 03:30

waiting for dog to finish moonlight garden ramble 

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 03:30 to 04:00

back to bed

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 04:00 to 04:30

Check email on phone

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 04:30 to 05:00

Check Twitter & Facebook

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 05:00 to 05:30

Sleep

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 05:30 to 06:30

Wake, bathroom, coffee, bed, internet

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 06:30 to 07:30

Feed dog

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 07:30 to 08:00

Shower, wash hair, dress, assemble gifts

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 08:00 to 09:15

Drop dog off at parents house

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 09:15 to 09:45

Join A14 - I am the passenger

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 09:45 to 10:15

Reading The Pleasures of English Food, watching cloud

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 10:15 to 11:00

A50 Services before derby Turn off. Coffee. 

Magazine. Buy miniature Rosebush

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 11:00 to 11:30

Rejoin A50 heading for Stoke-on-Trent

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 11:30 to 12:15

Passing Britainnia Stadium - 

ring Andrew's parents to explain late arrival 

of fish and chip lunch

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 12:15 to 12:45

Packmoor - David's Chip Shop. 

Cat on a lead on a wall. 

view of Mow Cop from Chip Shop window.

 Millenium Breathing space garden and Millennium Throne

(artist on the project Phil Hardaker)

Finches and sparrows investigate plants

and perch on satellite cables. 

Explore remains of terraced street life. Breath in. scheduled 5 May 2012 from 12:45 to 13:30

Arrive at the inlaws to have lunch scheduled 5 May 2012 from 13:30 to 14:15

The rest of the boyz arrive

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 14:15 to 15:00

Talking in the back room

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 15:00 to 15:30

take family snaps, say goodbyes

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 15:30 to 16:15

Visit Trentham Gardens - shopping, eat pie, buy new lime green shoes in the sale

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 16:15 to 17:00

Leave Stoke head out to A50. As I am not 

driving I read the Pleasures of Engish Food again which is strangely engrossing

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 17:00 to 17:30

Stop at A50 services to stretch legs, have a break

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 17:30 to 18:00

Rejoin A50 heading home

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 18:00 to 18:30

Join M1 road getting pretty busy

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 18:30 to 19:00

Join A14

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 18:45 to 19:15

Collect Charlie Whippet from my parents. 

Have tea and chat about the day.

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 19:15 to 19:45

Arrive home, unpack, check emails, 

make coffee, download photos

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 19:45 to 20:30

Make food

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 20:30 to 21:00

Watch back to back episodes of The Bridge

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 21:00 to 23:00

Watch unremarkable TV programmes

scheduled 5 May 2012 from 23:00 to 23:30

Bed

scheduled for 5 May 2012 at 23:45 to 6 May 2012 at 00:45