Walking Weaves is a series of weaves I made during the first lockdown. My initial idea came through Promeneur by Sheila Hicks, a piece I have always loved. Promeneur is a small weaving made on a little portable loom that is made of stretch bars. These were used by Hicks as private expressions or ramblings. Ramblings seems a particularly apt terminology. Hicks has made thousands of these since graduate school.
I decided to make daily small weaves during this period of self- isolation. These reflected walks I have done, walks I missed, imaginary walks and walks I was looking forward to doing in the future. Each weave was made in the evening and posted on my Instagram page the next day. The postings became a diary as I reflected on the walk that day. I am in the process of uploading their stories on my website.
Elspeth (Billie) Penfold (MRSS FRSA) is a textile artist who combines walking, weaving and performative storytelling. Billie uses hapticity and psychogeography to explore narratives. She hand-spins ropes which are knotted by participants as part of performative events.
In 2014, Billie formed a group called Thread and Word that delivers funded arts-based projects through performed poetry. Through this group Billie uses digital media, sound and locative mapping to create hybrid, in person and digital walking events. Billie’s approach to multi-layered storytelling is influenced by her Andean background. Her practice allows for many voices, moving away from a linear view of the world and avoiding a linear interpretation. In 2020 Billie’s Thread and Word project ‘A Different Lens’ was awarded an honourable mention at the international festival Soundwalks September. Billie has just completed her MA in Creative Events Management at Falmouth University