WAP24 by WAP

WAP24/WALKING AS PRACTIVE Exposition developed by individual artists with in the framework of WAP24. JUNE EDITION: John Schuerman, co-curator/lead walker SEPTEMBER EDITION: Antonia Aitken, co-curator/lead walker The walking scene in Sweden is in the forming or resurfacing. The purpose with this process-based program is to invite (inter)national artists to further this development together with a core-group connected to Björkö Konstnod/BKN. WAP methodology of fieldworks and share sessions are carried out to locate and entangle structures, narratives and forces via the intersection of the arts and walking. The curatorial framework opens up for participating artists to influence the direction and leaned towards new materialism, ie rethinking dualisms through a non-hierarchal approach. Reviewing the development (share sessions, walks, and work made available to public), ”Spaces of Anticipation” is the theme for WAP24. We also foresee that after WAP24 the platform could continue to focus on aspects of artistic research at the cusp of walking and the arts. In 2023 the focus was on "Attentive Walking"

Zihao Hazel Mei is an Edinburgh-based artist and landscape architect, currently teaching at the University of Edinburgh. With a deep passion for exploring the intersection of art, design, and environmental studies, she employs walking, mapping, and embodied technology as integral tools for research and creation.

Her artwork delves into the realms of space, time, materiality, and bodily experiences through maps, drawings, moving images, and mixed media works.

Her teaching spans accredited undergraduate and postgraduate landscape architecture programs at Edinburgh College of Art, where she actively contribute to teach and develop critical communication and representation methods. Her landscape design background lends insight into the anthropological, phenomenological, and digital dimensions of contemporary landscape design, enriching her creative process.

Her works have been showcased in publications and exhibitions, including China Creative Design Yearbook (2013), Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize exhibitions (2020-2021), and Studio Magazine 20 'Heretic' (2021).

Shadow Walk - Solitude in Tandem

Conducted during an artist residency at BKN, this project explores the act of walking as a means to reflect on the dynamics of isolation and connection with the environment. It involves a series of silent, 20-minute walks where one artist leads the path, guided by prompts of seeking solitude or connection, while the "shadow" (Hazel Mei - the artist who conceived the project) follows in silence, documenting the experience using a walking trail app and a LiDAR scanning app.

During my residency with WAP24 (Aug 15-Sep 15, 2024) , I explored a few ideas.

Shadow Walk - Solitude in Tandem is the core project I developed at BKN. It built up on my continuous research around walking and embodied technologies.

PUT YOUR MOUSE OVER AND CLICK ON the images below to learn more about each project.

The Contour Line Drawing by Matches

Using a bag of unwanted matches left by a former artist at BKN, I traced a fragile contour line across the cliff by the Baltic Sea - shaped by the wind, the uneven surface, and even ants climbing over it. As the wind constantly blew parts fo the line away, I felt a strange calmness in the imperfection and disruption. It reminded me of how lines in the landscape, like in life, are always shifting, shaped by forces beyond our control. For the ants, this line became an obstacle or a path - something to navigate.

Fluoxetone

Xin li de shi tou luo di le

I explored te intersection of nature and mental health. Each day I took my fluoxetine for depression I have been struggling with for years, I replace the pill with a small stone collected from the island, reflecting on the emotional burdens we carry and release. The stones now fill ane entire blister pack (a month dose ), becoming a visual metaphor for healing, routine, and the weight of depression.

The First Drop of Water

Immersed in the space between the forest and the sea, I found myself reflected deeply on water (again). This very short moving piece imagined the first drop of water on Earth, witnessing its transformation from deep time into a virtual future.

A Concertina Walk

This project explores the intersection of movement, sensory perception, and drawing through the use of a mini concertina book as a dynamic canvas.

A Sky Piece

This piece documents the fleeting boundary between the clouds and the other atmosphere observed during a flight from Edinburgh to Stockholm. Seated by the window near the plane's wing, I captured the shifting edge of the sky, translating the experience of moving through air into a continuous line. Upon arriving at my destination, I installed this line my studio wall and naming it 'a line between Edinburgh and Stockholm'.

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