one walk, four interpretations

four artists on Bodmin Moor

Collaborations with other artists are, for me, one of the most satisfying aspects of being an artist. It builds on my career history of collaborations in the field of science and technology. In this particular case I worked with Juliet Walsh, Donna Mitchell, and Jonathan Haytor. We discussed how we might collaborate and found a common interest in the landscape of Bodmin Moor, which was a familiar sight but one that none of us had explored in any depth. It was January 2014. We decided to focus on one area near to the Minions and to make the circular walk together at different times and allow the landscape to dictate what work we might make. A key to the success of the collaboration was our process, involving visits to each of our studios to focus on the artistic processes we used. We discovered that despite the variations in our practices we all followed similar processes, such as immersion in the landscape. These visits were documented by Juliet, and contributed to a film of the project. The other key factor was the regular visits to the 4.5 mile walk in different weathers, to spend time together, to gather material and to install work on the moor itself. We decided that this would be a long-term collaboration and that along the way we would hold an exhibition of work, not as an end event but as a milestone. Such collaborations create lasting bonds.

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