Walk | Draw | Stitch - Gillian Cooper

Desire Lines

Desire Lines are paths which form naturally by people choosing to walk a certain route rather than following the paths set out for them.

These pieces started from photographs taken on local walks. I drew 14 of them on top of each other, layering up the views and details of the walk. This drawing was cut up into sections and re-ordered and these collages were used as a basis for painting the fabric. As I traversed the cloth with the pigment and water, I created new routes rather than following the exact pattern of the collages, like desire lines on the land.

Hand and machine stitch were added afterwards.

Desire Lines I

Desire Lines II

Desire Lines III

Walk | Draw | Stitch

One step, one mark, one stitch. On their own, they are fairly meaningless, but repeated and gathered together, they turn into something more consequential - a walk, a drawing, a textile.

Most mornings I go for a quick, local walk following one of two routes - in the winter through the village and up onto the moor - in summer through the village and along the river Endrick, looping back home. Although highly repetitive, it is not mundane as I notice the small changes that take place over the seasons, feel the (very) fresh air on my face and get set up for the day. Recently, I have been drawing on the walks stopping to record a view or capturing fleeting glimpses of the whole walk by drawing whilst moving. The views portrayed here in stitch are not taken from reality. Instead they are composited views, piecing together a series of drawings to give an overall impression of the walk rather than a small snapshot.

The largest piece takes 10 individual drawings based on photos from the walks and turns them into a more significant whole.