What do walking, weaving, observing, storytelling, singing, drawing and writing have in common? The answer is that they all proceed along lines
- Tim Ingold
We are all walking different paths, some less clear-cut than others. It often occurs to me that a lot of creative people hear and feel the call of new pathways more loudly and intensely than others; a pull in a certain direction, a spark of interest, something in the wind. Like weaving with different coloured threads, lines of fascination weave in and out of our lives. Some folk are able to stick to the design, some of us are drawn more towards emergence and the process of not-quite-knowing. There is, I believe, a balance point between fluidity and control. This place is personally not so familiar, although it increasingly beckons my wandering soul to it.
The concept of Desire Lines has been gently making tracks into my creative practice and life for some time now. A desire line is an intuitive path taken, usually where one does not exist already. You may see a desire line as a faint track in the grass or a shortcut worn into the ground by feet choosing their own direction. They are apparently very popular in urban planning; the pathways that people choose to take inform a lot of new thinking about how communities might be organised. My focus here is rural and perhaps more philosophical. What do desire lines mean to you?
Metaphorically, thinking about desire lines translates for me into the things that call to us. Desire in itself is an interesting word. Expressed as a verb, desire becomes a doing word, an action rather than something we have stuck inside us, or that which drives us towards a particular destiny. From the Latin desiderare (to long for, wish for; demand, or expect) came from the phrase de sidere ‘from the stars’. In this sense, desire becomes a night sky by which to navigate our unique and shared constellations.
What are our desires, and what does the earth long for? Where do these things cross paths? I wonder, what if our most heartfelt desires are not intrinsically selfish or self centred, but collective dreams? Desire is often (mis)understood as inner hedonistic yearnings. What if the meaning also includes simple pleasures such as nourishment, locally grown food, a simpler life? In our over-sexualised culture, desire might expand to include (but not be limited to) physical pleasure; embracing sensuality in all it’s forms. Desire may be for aloneness, for family, for quiet. It might be for all-night dancing and a wild sunrise, or the feeling of wellness for those living with prolonged health issues. So. Many. Things.
“The desire to go home that is a desire to be whole, to know where you are, to be the point of intersection of all the lines drawn through all the stars, to be the constellation-maker and the center of the world, that center called love. To awaken from sleep, to rest from awakening, to tame the animal, to let the soul go wild, to shelter in darkness and blaze with light, to cease to speak and be perfectly understood.”
- Rebecca Solnit, Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics
Whilst exploring desire lines, I have been writing and collecting various practices to connect with these interconnecting pathways we find our confused little human selves navigating. These are playful, creative things to do on a walk, in the outdoors, or at home. I thought this newsletter would be a good place to share some of them. Here are two practices for working with sound, and ideas around gender.
Sound Mapping: Listening to routes without and within
Find somewhere to sit with your eyes closed for five to ten minutes (perhaps set a timer). Listen carefully to all the sounds you can hear, trying to tune in to all the layers. What are the sounds beneath the sounds that first make themselves known to you? Is there a drone or rhythm underneath it all? When you open your eyes, draw and/or write a map of your sounds on a blank piece of paper. This can be a simple mind map or quite abstract if you like, using shapes or lines to describe the sounds. Where are you in all this, fellow human? Are you a silent listener, a speaking contributor or singing note in this auditory field of wonder?
In Their Shoes: walking without an a-gender
Walk without an agenda, except the purpose of exploring the concepts and constructs of ‘gender’ with your footsteps and senses. The earth is often referred to as female, or ‘mother nature’. Nature requires a whole host of genders to survive, reproduce and flourish - this is biodiversity. Think about whether you experience the feminine/masculine as you walk, are aspects of your environment multi-gendered, or even non-binary? Think about your own chosen or given gender identity. For example, if you’re a man, think about what it might be like to walk as a woman, trans, gender fluid, two spirit or non-binary person through this place. Starting with whichever gender you are today, try walking in some different shoes.
These practices are broad ranging, and I will be sharing more ideas you might like to try out in your own time. Perhaps you’ll write something or make a piece of art, or come to an interesting resting place. Do share your experiences with me if you feel moved to, and look out for further Desire Lines winging your way throughout the year.
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