I recently met the Toronto-based artist Laura Nanni, who does a lot of work around the theme of walking in collaboration with Sorrel Muggridge, a British artist based in Nottingham, England.
Nanni told me about some of their collaborations — one of my favourites was “Working in Proximity: See You Soon!”. After a year of working together, having never met in person, they each started at one of the two intersections of King and Queen in Toronto, and walked towards each other (not even knowing which of these streets the other would take). Along the way, they created signs on the sidewalk (one with chalk, the other with found objects) to help each other in case they didn’t meet (in the end, they did meet, on Queen). Hearing this concept made me want to try it too.
Their current project is called “The Climb”. In each city, they are attempting to climb the accumulated height that would be required to see each other over the earth’s curve. From September 1-5, they are looking for 5 people to join them each day on their climb. Notes from the climbs will be featured in the Walking Life exhibition. Here are the details:
‘The Climb’
by Sorrel Muggridge and Laura Nanni
11am-1pm, September 1st-5th
Presented by Angel Row Gallery (Nottingham UK) in conjunction with ‘Walking Life’ exhibition at the Gladstone Hotel (Toronto ON)
http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/ar_exhibitions-nextLaura Nanni (Toronto) and Sorrel Muggridge (Nottingham) invite you to join them on an ongoing quest to climb 699km high in order to see each other over the horizon. This vast height has been quantified through a series of walks and climbs in their respective cities (front steps, churches, fire escapes and car parks) which will accumulate to this grand total. The next phase of the journey will be guided by their search for new stairs to climb; unexpected viewpoints and long forgotten pathways will be revealed in the process, giving us all a new perspective of our city. The climb will take place simultaneously in Nottingham and Toronto.
Places are limited and booking is essential – please call 416-824-4293 for more information.
Documentation collected by the artists and participants from this latest phase of the project will be featured as part of the ‘Walking Life’ exhibit at the Gladstone Hotel, September 9th- October 5th.
