Research about walking as a space, a method and an opportunity to be together

In the turbulent times of today, shaken by ecological crises, by urban planning decisions that are unfavorable to natural human movement and new virtual forms of being together – the amount of research on the relationship between walking (physical action) and our psyche is increasing. All of this inevitably stimulates the cultural field to turn towards the act of walking as well. Research of the processes in relation to the act of walking is therefore particularly needed in the cultural field.

During the postdoctoral studies the research will be carried out to investigate the act of walking as a kind of space for being together (in community) and the artistic and research practices which are exploring it. Various artistic and cultural practices (including not only visual arts, but also other cultural fields such as theater, literature, etc.) will be researched, in which the act of walking plays an important role. The main aim of the postdoctoral research is to use artistic and analytical tools to open up, substantiate and consolidate insights into the potential of the act of walking and its related processes as a particularly useful method of creation, being together (in community), education, performative documentation of an artwork, and local/urban research. Collaboration with various researchers, urban planners, walking theorists and neuroscientists will take place in order to understand the impact of walking (with groups and alone) on the brain and creativity. These artistic research objectives will be pursued and will materialize through the formats of the symposium and the accompanying publication.

I believe that the insights gained during the postdoctoral research on the potential of the act of walk as a particularly useful method of creativity, being together (in a community), education, and local (urban) research, will significantly contribute not only to the expansion and enrichment of the discourse of contemporary culture and performative art, but also to the rethinking of educational methods. The postdoctoral research is planned to result in an international symposium and publication.

This project has received funding from the Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT), agreement No. S-PD-22-47.