Lines made by walking: Richard Long and desire paths
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Through a characterless field in 1967, Richard Long made the first of many works created by walking back and forth in a straight line, over and over again, as described by the artist as ‘going nowhere’.
It is a work that defied genres at the time, clumsily labelled as land art, despite having more sculptural qualities, notwithstanding the essential ephemerality that comes with the inevitable re-growing of trampled grass. Genres aside, it is probably best described as what it is: a line made by walking.
Like other works described as land art or earth art, it exists outside of the museum — living on through its photographic documentation.
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Desire paths offer a different kind of line made by walking. Formed by repeated rejection of pre-existing landscape architecture, desire paths are often found where corners can be cut, in the spontaneous suggestion of a better route. Desire paths represent democratic and unsolicited intervention in place where people have the power to affect the fabric of the landscape, in an unconscious, yet purposeful way. To walk, or start a desire path, is to vote for a new way — it is to become a passive, yet profound collaborator in city planning.
There’s countless examples of how desire paths have proven useful to city planners, above simply making the paths permanent. In his article for 99% Invisible, Kurt Kohlstedt describes many examples where desire paths have become useful in better informing planning decisions and provoking change where needed. The opportunity that snow brings in this situation is also quite interesting, as Kohlstedt describes:
Highlighting areas of snow-covered road left untouched by cars reveals ideal places for potential for traffic-calming interventions, curb bump-outs and pedestrian islands. The reasoning is straightforward: if the cars do not need the space in winter, they should not need it at all.
Being as they are usually so unintentional, there is also a very human intentness to desire paths — a certain primal exigency to shape the world for common purpose.
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Recalling Immanuel Kant, John Kaag and Susan Froderberg argue that although walking with purpose is considered a positive thing, the art of walking should not be about purpose or aim, but rather ‘purposeless purpose’, appreciating the value and beauty of walking for it’s own sake, with no end goal, for clearing the head, for mindfulness, for pleasure, for just walking. ‘When we give ourselves over to the art of walking, we exist in the moment for no reason or purpose other than that of the experience alone, for the appreciation and apprehension of beauty.’
This account goes some way to describe the tones within the work of Richard Long, whilst simultaneously pedestrianising it — which is no bad thing. Richard Long’s paths are forever ‘going nowhere’, and whilst purpose exists within the art of making the paths, there is no further function or utility to them — they do not reach a destination, or necessarily connect an A to a B. In Richard Long’s lines, the human body is the formal mark-making device — drawing lines, not for function or utility, but for their own sake.
By contrast, desire paths could be seen as the exact opposite in one respect. Although Richard Long’s work invites easy comparisons with desire paths, the very presence of desire paths is evidence of functional purpose — people have voted with their feet for a quicker, more direct, more intuitive route to reach their destination, albeit unwittingly. So, whilst Long’s lines are made intentionally by an act of an artist without functional purpose, desire paths (on the whole) are forged by the footsteps of many, over a period of time, and with clear and direct function.
In another respect perhaps both are equals, as counter-balancers. If function without freedom is the opposite of democracy, how could desire paths inform a gentle pushing of the established framework towards an environment that better serves the user?
The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.
References
Ben Tufnell (ed.), Richard Long: Selected Statements & Interviews, London 2007, p.39.
John Kaag and Susan Froderberg, For the full life experience, put down all devices and walk: https://aeon.co/ideas/for-the-full-life-experience-put-down-all-devices-and-walk
Kurt Kohlstedt, Least Resistance: How Desire Paths Can Lead to Better Design: https://99percentinvisible.org/article/least-resistance-desire-paths-can-lead-better-design/
John Schaar — ‘The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.’