Over the period of the lockdown I have been collecting images of dirt roads from google maps street view, all over the world. I was struck by the similarities between roads in countries so far from each other. The images seemed unifying, in the human creation of the road and in the human need for travel, which is now amplified and complicated by the pandemic. I think there is something magical in the dirt road, they have been made and used for hundreds of years, and could be anywhere, made and used by anyone. the modern finish of tarmac seems completely without charm or personality in comparison.
I wanted to create a 'walk' with these images, combining similar scenes from different countries in a stop motion animation which would take participants on the same walk, from anywhere in the world, across many different unknown lands in a short time. I had not yet decided on the destination of the walk, but the journey itself would be the most important element of the work. I collected many images but was never able to create the animation as I had hoped, because of problems acquiring the right software on my computer. This is an idea I would love to continue in the future, and I think that google maps is a very rich resource for art-making, especially in a time when physical travel is restricted.
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