A Walk from London to Worthing and Everywhere in between

New work by Simon Pope

A commission for navigating history logo (http://www.navigating-history.net)


Exhibition Dates

 4 Oct - 27 Nov 2004

Venue

Local Studies Library,Worthing Library, Richmond Road, Worthing, West Sussex, UK BN11 1HD. (Map)
 

Introduction


Worthing town library provided the venue for A Walk from London to Worthing and Everywhere in between. Crossing the library's lending, reference and local studies libraries, the walk was led by a search of the collections, looking for the facts and fictions that construct our ideas of London, Worthing and the relationships between them.

The walk was framed by the expectation of what the work of a walking artist should entail such as endurance, exploration and  endeavor. In this case, the work crossed the space of an information system, rather than of geography; the movement between floors, shelves and books is described by a hand-drawn line, superimposed onto a map of the Dewey Decimal System, used to classify the books in the library.

In journeying across this abstract system, the walk tells a tale, which visitors could reenact, by following a trail of orange and yellow markers that were inserted into the Library's shelves and books. The route went from London's formerly neglected, now coveted, housing estates towards the promise of sanctuary on the South coast, emulating the migration to towns such as Worthing, again popular with both the young and old seeking respite from London. The enduring metaphor of tidal erosion – the battle between sea and shoreline – suggests the ways that issues of immigration and identity are often described. A key art historical reference is the stone circle - a recurring motif in the books referenced by the walk: in engravings of Stonehenge, images of stone circles built on the beach, of the botanic gardens of Padua and of the old British Library reading room.

Poster


image of the radial map and hand-drawn route

Key

Outer band: Local Studies Library

Mid Band: Reference Library

Inner Band: Lending Library

000 Generalities

100 Philosophy & Psychology

200 Religion

300 Social Sciences

400 Language

500 Natural Sciences & Mathematics

600 Technology (Applied sciences)

700 The Arts

800 Literature & Rhetoric

900 Geography & History


1. 914.21 London Perceived. Pritchett V.S. Penguin, 2003. p.65, p.22, p.210, p.133, p.44, p.52.

2. 942.1 Exploring England's Heritage: London. Harwood E. & Saint A. HMSO. 1991. p.116, p.122, p.123, p.125, p.126.

3. Q942.21 A History Of The County Of London, Volume 1. Ed. William Page.1909. Fig. 40, p.67, Fig. 22, p.51, Fig. 14.

4. 154.63 The New Dream Dictionary. Tony Crisp. Optima.1994. p.86, p.256.

5. Q720.942 London Suburbs. Merrell Holberton/English Heritage.1999. p.43, p.215.

6. 914.2 Robinson In Space. Patrick Keiller. Reaktion Books,1999. p.227, p.235, p.228, p.88.

7. 809.9 Modernism/Postmodernism. Ed. Peter Brooker. Longman, 1992. p.1, p.82.

8. Q598.2 Collins Atlas Of Bird Migration. Ed. Elphick, Jonathan. 1995. p.124-125.

9. 152.46 No Fear, Overcoming Panic Attacks And Phobias. Alice Neville. Hodder & Stoughton 2003. Front Cover.

10. Q759.05 Paintings In The Musée d'Orsay. Robert Rosenblum. Stewert, Tabori & Chang Inc. New York, 1989. p.260.

11. 914.50493 Living & Working In Italy. Ed. Graham Chesters. Survival Books, 2003.

12. 759.2 British Romantic Painting. Raymond Lister. Univ. Of Cambridge, 1987. Plate 34.

13. S796.522 Climbing And Walking In South-East England. Edward C. Pyatt. David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 1970. p.12, p.15, p.9, p.10, p.13.

14. 796.51 The Gentle Art Of Country Walking. John Wyatt. Random House. 1993. p.2.

15. Q914.2 A Tour Through The Whole Island Of Great Britain. Daniel Defoe. Ed. & Introduction Pat Rogers. 1989. p.57.

16. 914.2 Two Degrees West: A Walk Along England's Meridian. Nicolas Crane. Viking. 1999. Front Cover.

17. 910.4 The Worst Desert On Earth. Crossing The Taklamakan. Charles Blackmore. John Murray, 1995. Front Cover.

18. 796.51 The Landscapes Walking Companion. Paul Jenner And Christine Smith. Sunflower Books. 1998. p.89.

19. S900 A Journey From London To Worthing, Through Clapham, Merton, Etc. London, C. Wright. 186-.

20. 248 Pilgrimage: Past & Present In The World Religions. Simon Coleman & John Elsner. British Museum.1995. p.217.

21. S920 Kno Round The Room: An Autobiography By Edward Knoblock. Chapman And Hall, 1939. Frontispiece.

22. 942.1 Exploring England's Heritage: London. Harwood E. & Saint A. HMSO, London. 1991. p.40.

23. S920 Luc Reading, Writing And Remembering. E.V. Lukas. Methuen,1932. p.vii, p.79.

24. Q580.744 Great Botanical Gardens Of The World. Edward Hyams. & William Macquitty. Thomas Nelson & Son. 1969. p.19.

25. 635.976 Hillier Manual Of Trees & Shrubs, 6th Edtn. David & Charles, 1991. p.341.

26. S613.12 The Climates And Baths Of Great Britain. Committee Report, Royal Medical And Chirurgical Society Of London. Vol. 1. The Climates Of The South Of England , And The Chief Medicinal Springs Of Great Britain. Macmillan And Co, London, 1895.p. iv, p. 311, p.312, p.321, p.325, p.376, p.378, p.379, p.380-382.

27. 551.5 The Sussex Weather Book. Bob Ogley, Ian Curries & Mark Davison. Froglet /Frosted Earth. Westerham. 1991. p.28, p.34, p.55.

28. 720.3 Illustrated Dictionary Of Architecture. Jill Lever & John Harris. Faber & Faber, Second Edition. 1993. p.117.

29. 720 Seaside Architecture. Kenneth Lindley. Evelyn, 1973. p.84.

30. S910a.A. AA Book Of The Sea Side : A Mile-By-Mile Guide To Britain's Coastline. Drive, 1972. p.42-45, p.49, p.22/23, p.12.

31. SQ551.5 Rising To The Challenge: Impacts Of Climate Change In The South East In The 21st Century. November 1999 Summary Report. Surrey County Council, Kingston Upon Thames, 1999. p.5.

32. S551.46 Sea Level And Shoreline Between Portsmouth & Pagham For The Past 2500yrs With Some Thoughts On How To Survive The Rising Sea. Hume Wallace. Pt 1. 1990. [Large Type Draft]. Title Page.

33. 525.69 Admiralty Tide Tables 2004. Vol 1. United Kingdom And Ireland Including UK Channel Ports. UK Hydrographic Office, 2003.

34. SQ320 Blackshirts-On-Sea: A Pictorial History Of The Mosely Summer Camps 1933-1938. J.A. Booker. Brockingday Publications, 1999. p.61.

35. 333.1 A Bibliography Of W.H. Hudson. G.F. Wilson. The Bookman's Journal. 1922. p.54.

36. 333 A Handlist Of Sussex Inclosure Acts And Awards. W.E. Tate. West & East Sussex County Councils. 1950. p.23.

37. S388.1 Roman Roads In South-East Britain: Romance And Tragedy. Hughes G.M. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. First Published1936. p.177.

38. S305 Conflict And Community In Southern England. Ed. Barry Stapleton. Alan Sutton. Stroud. 1992. p.52.

39. S599 Sussex Mammal Report. 1965. Ed. F.J. Taylor Page. Sussex Naturalists Trust Ltd. Sussex, 1965. p.19.

40. S796.51 Ramblers Atlas Of Western Sussex Vol. III. p.36, Reverse, Inside Cover.

41. 910.2 The Rambler's Yearbook And Accommodation Guide 2004. Dan French Ed. Ramblers' Association. 2004. p.7, p.10.

Installation Views


shelf inserts trial version
 Shelf Inserts in their trial version, in a domestic setting. 24/09/04




Acknowledgements

Simon Pope, 2004. Commissioned as part of Navigating History a collaboration between Proboscis and Deborah Smith with East Sussex Record Office in Lewes, Folkestone Library & Museum, West Sussex Local Studies Collection in Worthing Library. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and Kent County Councils.



This document created: 23/09/04; modified: 23/09/04
Author: Simon Pope
simon@informal.org.uk