Two men are attempting to walk around (and around) Holbeck following a spiral route marked on a map. As they go they are collecting items and building a structure of mementos of their journey.
Spiral is part of the Compass Arts Festival taking place in Leeds this week. Sticking exactly to the task is impossible – the route goes through houses and across the motorway – but negotiating the best route closest to the line is what brings the project to life. It is a voyage of discovery: of places, people and things.
I met up with artists Gregg Whelan and Gary Winters outside the Clayton Hotel on Sunday afternoon (13 November 2016) as they approached the end of their second revolution.
They talked me through their collection of objects. The wooden slats found by the river on the first morning that the turned into a frame, the plastic gemstone donated by a young girl, the ‘emergency supplies’ of chewing gum and ibuprofen given to them by a woman rummaging in her handbag as she set off for a night out. I was delighted to see a copy of South Leeds Life, found at David Street Café and was able to donate two dog poo bags from my coat pocket.
The walk continues until Thursday, gradually spiralling inwards. At 5pm it will arrive at Slung Low’s HUB on Bath Road and you’re invited to gather there for food and drink. Gary and Gregg will dismantle the collection of objects and review the week of encounters, sharing stories from their travels and the items they have collected along the way.
If you see them do stop for a chat and give them something for their collection. You can follow their progress on Runkeeper at https://runkeeper.com/user/2486646696/live-tracking/894824750 and they are also on Twitter: @Lone-Twin.
