Blake Morris is a walking artist and independent scholar based in Northamptonshire. His artistic work and scholarly research focus on inviting people to walk together at a distance through a specific artistic design. Recent works have included British Summer Time, a series of sunrise walks, with participants from across the world, including in Vietnam, England, Ireland, and the United States; A Wander is not a Slog, which included over 120 participants across twenty countries in a year long exploration of artistic walks; and his Arts Council England funded project This is not a Slog, for which he created three site-specific walks for Ovalhouse Theatre in London.
His recent book, Walking Networks: The Development of an Artistic Medium, was published as part of Rowman and Littlefield International's Radical Cultural Studies series in 2019, and offers an overview of the current field of walking art, and its potential to create meaningful exchanges at a distance.
His writing can also be found in journals such as Green Letters: Studies in Eco-Criticism, the International Journal of Tourism Cities, and the Ways to Wander publications from Triarchy Press. His artistic work has been shown at Ovalhouse Theatre (London), Bogart Salon (New York City) and Superfront Gallery (Los Angeles, Detroit, NYC) and he has lectured on walking and art at various UK universities, including Goldsmiths London, the University of East London and the University of Northampton. Prior to relocating to the UK, Blake founded the New York City based Walk Exchange, a cross-disciplinary walking group that has been described as an intriguing ‘think tank’ on foot, which has evolved to explore distance walking through projects connecting New York City and London. He currently co-manages the Walking Artists Network along with Clare Qualmann, with whom he also co-edits a section for the critical cartography journal Livingmaps Review.
Additionally, he is a member of the advisory board for the Livingmaps Network, which brings together artists, activists and community members to think about ways to reconsider the landscape through mapping practices.
Blake's full portfolio can be found at www.thisisnotaslog.com
Place • Time • Material