I walk often. I walk to digest, whether it be food or thought. I walk to have my feet on the ground,
literally (I hate flying and I dislike driving a car) and in an immanent and prayerful way, as walking brings one
to presence with the world. A meditative act. Walking creates a present space, via a kinesthetic awareness. One is
more aware of being “here”, than not. I walk to get from point A to point B. Often those points involve my home
and my studio in Seattle. One morning, I videotaped this experience of walking from my home to my studio. The
distance is close to three miles, and it was November so it was gray and cool, with temperatures in the 40s. This
walk had, over time, become somewhat mundane, finding familiarity in streets and landmarks within the
neighborhoods in which I live, so in order to see with renewed sight, I performed the walk barefoot.
Perhaps this work serves as documentation of a performance. I’ve heard it said before that our lives are a
performance. If that is so then this performance is of a journey.
It is an act of seeing, seeing through the tactile function of walking barefoot on wet pavement, as well as
looking at a video still as the “model” for the painting. The viewer is offered via the still painting and the
moving image two simultaneous views: looking up and looking down. The audio of the nearby traffic of the sidewalk
offers another opportunity to “see.”
Dan Graham talks about art as an attempt to express your own position in relation to the universe, as you
have first grasped it with your conscious mind – an attempt that springs from an immemorially ancient drive. At
the same time, he questioned the apparent synchronicity between physical world and viewing subject.
When one typically views a painting, the act of engaging a painting, involves knowing where oneself is
perceptually in relation to the painting. The combination of video and painting complicates this relationship.
Where do you stand?