Roadside Picnic // Ben Waddington

Sun 12th May // 11am // 90 mins

Meet: outside School of Art, Ring Rd St Peters, Wolverhampton WV1 1RY

After enrolling on the Fine Art course at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in 1990, Ben found his feet in new territory by undertaking long walks along the canal towpath. These were to source (free) industrial material for sculptures as well as to understand the nature of his new home town, which reminded him of the mysterious ‘Zone’ seen in Tarkovsky’s 1979 sci-fi film Stalker.

His moment of revelation was to leave the material - twisted wires, rusted metal and shattered windscreens - where it was and to bring people to it, rather than to isolate it in the studio. Thirty years later, this approach to understanding environments and then sharing with an audience forms the basis of his guided tour festival Still Walking. This walk retraces the route of his first walk in Wolverhampton in September 1990.

Join Ben for rest and refreshments after the walk.

About Ben:

Ben is a Birmingham resident trained in Fine Art, has worked in heritage culture but more recently has been exploring the possibilities of the guided walk format. He is the co-director of Still Walking Festival.

• Footwear suitable for urban walking and weather-appropriate clothing essential.

• Accessible towpath route. Ramps and some uneven terrain. One section accessible only by stile.

• Lost and Found is running as part of University of Wolverhampton’s Artsfest