Camino (the track, path or journey)

Last Saturday I was part of an interactive art installation at Leigh Beach as part of the Leigh Arts Trail. The task was to move large quantities of dry sand from the beach onto the mud flats to form a sand labyrinth; visible and sanctified for a time and then reclaimed by nature through the tide. The project was spearheaded by Miss Joanna Hartle, a woman of many talents, but with a particular penchant for art and nature together.

The creation of the piece began at 4.30 AM, and I admit I wasn’t there for that, but I participated by ferrying sand, laying it down and walking the Camino (as well as eating the bacon sandwiches!). Jo wrote a blog about the whole process which you might want to browse: http://www.naturespacecreative.com/camino-days.html

(photo credits to: Jo Hartle, Dee)

Since last Saturday I have been ruminating on the Camino:

tierra sagrada (holy ground, sacred space)
When people walked the Camino they responded in various ways, but most people remarked that it had ‘been special’; helped them gain perspective or just a bit of peace. In a way this seemed a bit strange; all we had done was move some sand from one part of a beach to another. It was a public beach, there was nothing special about the weather or the location; but through all our toil in the early morning we had created something special. This got me thinking about other ways we can create places or times to find peace and a bit of perspective...

camino: the track, the path, the journey
There came a time when I got to walk the Camino for myself and I noticed several things. It is important to state the obvious at this point: the Camino route is a metaphor for life’s journey. The first thing I noticed was that we all walked the same path, but had quite different experiences - shaped by our choices, like our footwear (or lack of). Barefoot enabled sensations such as heat and cold, rough and smooth which augmented the overall experience of light and movement experienced by other path-walkers.

Secondly, as I walked along the paths I found my feet fitting into the footprints of previous walkers of the Camino. Sometimes these were other people’s footprints, people who had already been here and moved on; maybe those who have apprenticed me on my journey. But sometimes I realised with surprise that my feet were fitting into my own prints, imprinted when I had been creating the piece. It reminded me of those times when you find yourself in exactly the same situation as before, but the circumstances feel quite different.

aguas turbias (muddy waters)
This week has been full of contemplation regarding the past, present and future of my journey; from pints of cider with old flames to scary Careers talks, and promising looking PhD offers that then fall through. Similarly with the Camino, some parts of this journey are easier to walk than others; some areas were near flooded, walking them was messy and progress was slow, but an entirely necessary part of reaching the end goal; sometimes we had to stop to repair the banks of the Camino as it broke under pressure, other parts of the path were easier to traverse. Isn’t life just full of this same wonderful variety; hard times and times when the going is good, of smooth paths and muddy water!

¡dejar su impronta! (Leave your mark!)
If you go back to Leigh Beach now the Camino will be invisible, reclaimed several days ago by the tide. But its mark lasted several tides, and its imprint was still visible 24 hours later!
Several hours of blister inducing digging completely erased; but I am sure the effort was worth it if only for the journey I went on. Thank you Jo for inspiring us to do something great!

Just in case you are wondering; I submitted that culture essay, yesterday. It took many more bacon sandwiches, lively debates and early mornings to knock it into shape. Interesting, as opposed to essay relevant, cultural comments on my trip to Germany coming soon...