Artranspennine08

(to see the video in the context of Google Map click here)

'First Person Rambler'

This work involves the walking of a section of the Trans Pennine Trail, starting near Stockport and heading East. Fred McVittie will be carrying a stick over his shoulder, to the end of which is attached a video camera that will record his progress. The viewpoint of the video recording will echo that found in ‘first person shooter’ video games. Whilst walking Fred will also be speaking aloud whatever occurs to him at the time; this forming a soundtrack to the moving image.

The project is a bringing together of two ideas; firstly that of walking through a landscape as a metaphor for the bindlestiff ramblings of thought and feeling, and secondly the sense of being outside of oneself. This second sense is most vividly exhibited in the avatar relations of video games and online virtual environments, but also features within a wide range of discourses, from spiritual practices and psychotic episodes to the ideals of empirical objectivity.

http://www.youtube.com/conferencereport