WALKING PIECE
Walk in the footsteps of the person in front.
1. on ground
2. in mud
3. in snow
4. on ice
5. in water
Try not to make sounds.
- Yoko Ono, 1964 spring
The time of the COVID-19 “lockdown” has not been a walk in the park. During the last few months, those of us who are able to take walks have done so of simple necessity: to get groceries, to do laundry, and to keep sane. The recent mass outpouring of rage following the police murder of George Floyd have been a reminder (if anyone had forgotten) that walking remains a powerful symbol of solidarity. There are indeed multiple, intertwined histories of walking, including regulation of who can walk, where they can walk, and when they can walk.
With these contexts in mind, CSA would like to invite you to join us in a socially-distanced art project, to take place in Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park. Taking inspiration from Yoko Ono’s book Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions and Drawings (1964), we invite submissions of instructions for socially-distanced walking activities and/or performances, to be completed by persons other than those issuing the instructions. Up to 30 instructions will be selected from submissions received, then freely distributed through CSA’s website as a PDF.
At 130 acres, QE is the second-largest park in the city of Vancouver. The spaciousness of QE Park will allow participants to maintain virally safe distances, while potentially allowing numerous participants to enact the same set of instructions at the same time. QE Park’s history as a former quarry makes it one of the most topographically interesting parks in Vancouver, providing all kinds of nooks and crannies where performances and/or activities could take place.
QE Park is at 4600 Cambie Street. A virtual drive-through of the park is available on Google Maps.
Submissions will be accepted, reviewed and released on a rolling basis, with a new batch released every Monday, until the end of the COVID-19 crisis. The curators may edit and format accepted submissions for clarity or brevity, in consultation with the artists.
