MAPPING IN LEWISHAM
for
Liberty Festival 2022
LOCAL SENSES MEMBERS ON THE BRIDGE OVER DEPTFORD CREEK. Image from the film "Mapping in Lewisham", available below.
Over the course of 9 months LOCAL SENSES researched and developed work for Liberty Festival 2022. From July to December 2021 the group met weekly to explore the area in and around Deptford Station. Through this process we devised three sensory routes developed out of poetic reflection, meditation, and embodied poses. We shared this work via public-facing walks as part of London Borough of Culture 2022.
Documentation of Public Walks for Liberty Festival and London Borough of Culture, Lewisham 2022. Directed by Nathan Bather (Local Senses).
/Local/Senses//Churchyard///// An audio-visual text walk. Made as part of London Borough of Culture 2022. Directed by Benjamin Jenner (Local Senses).
Research and Development is integral to our creative process. Below are some examples of how we develop our work together.
In January 2022, the group presented the development of their research for Liberty Festival at a sharing event hosted by the Albany Theater, Deptford.
The following invitation was written by LOCAL SENSES for that event:
"Tonight, LOCAL SENSES welcomes you to join them on a psychogeographic journey of Lewisham. Via ulterior sensory phenomena the collective will enter your mind and motivate your body in a bid to inspire you to communicate with the local environment beyond the visual. To succeed in this audacious act, they ask you to join them in a period of meditation where you will be led through the local streets towards the water of Deptford Creek. On returning to the room there will be a chance to compose a collection of Haikus and handle locally inspired talismanic forms before heading out to explore the local terrain for yourself. Here, you will join a short walk with musical accompaniment, navigating the area between the Albany and Deptford station. As we walk, we will stop and reflect on the ways in which the environment is shaped by sounds and smells and how this sited information can be captured in language. We will also speculate on the power of the terrain to lead both mind and body beyond themselves, as we move towards previous experiences held in different places and other times.
We look forward to welcoming you on this journey with us."
A range of poses developed through the R&D in response to the sensory stimuli at stopping points on the routes.
A selection of poems written by the group as part of the R&D for Liberty Festival 2022.
A further selection of poems are available under the drop down menu at the top of the page.
Documentation of R&D for Liberty Festival and London Borough of Culture, Lewisham 2022. Directed by Nathan Bather (Local Senses).