Lines of flight: placemaking in motion

Abstract

In this paper I will use arguments from the sociology of mobility to reflect on the relationships between movement and locative media, using the flight of balloons, kites and light aircraft to explore embodied aerial perspectives. These metaphors of flight and questions about movement have emerged through my practice as an artist working with Hamilton, Southern & St Amand. In the work ‘Running Stitch’ (2006 – 2009) participants go for a walk with a GPS device that sends a live signal to the gallery where it is stitched into a large canvas screen, thereby setting up a live relationship between a stitcher and a walker. Feedback gathered from participants suggests that they are not just thinking about where they are passing through, but also about the stitched line they are making, the drawn route or view from above, and that their walk had become a performance of place. While these observations apply directly to one installation, the ability to make a live track is becoming increasingly easy as GPS enabled mobile phones are becoming common. This paper explores how these technologies might change the way we experience place.