How long is a piece of string? ...Not as long as Arwenack Avenue, it turns out

This afternoon I walked the length of Arwenack with a roll of yarn, unravelling it as I walked. My aim with this activity was three-fold. I wanted to walk the length of the space in a different mind set, viewing it from the perspective of a maker, instead of usually when I am catching a train or thinking about other things. I think you see different things when you approach them with different reasons, so the string was a tangible connection to this alternate way of thinking, keeping a focus on the work and my knowledge of the place. I have walked around with artworks before and photographed them in different places so I was aware that I might feel self conscious, but I think this feeling stopped me from focusing on the street and making observations. I also felt that I rushed the process, conscious of not keeping the others waiting; I needed to spend more time thinking and walking, and learning about the surroundings. Perhaps next time I will go alone, or be more selfish.

It is interesting to observe how memories can be built up around a site. For me, and perhaps some people who walked past, Arwenack will now be 'where that length of string was unravelled'. I really enjoy how art can do that, adding to the identity of a place through experiences and encounters. I looked back as I unravelled the yarn and really liked how the line of string became a 'drawing in space', suspended with tension above the ground. Tension and the weight of the string being held off the ground over such a long distance might be quite an interesting idea to investigate, especially as rope relies on tension to maintain its form and purpose. Maybe the tension could activate a process, unravelling or twisting...

In my first tutorial with Jonty, he mentioned Conrad Shawcross' 2010 installation 'The Nervous System (Inverted)', a complex rope making machine that was suspended above the ground as it spun lengths of coloured cord together. It was suggested that I have a go at making a machine that spins rope that I might position in Arwenack Avenue so that the action is referential to the space and its history. This seems quite removed from my ordinary way of working; I think it would make for an interesting work that recalls the old processes, but I'm not sure if kinetic works are where my interests lie.

My second aim was to come away with something connected to the place; a piece of yarn the length of Arwenack Avenue, from which I might subsequently make a work. I like the idea of a conceptual connection between two unrelated things, similar to Cornelia Parker's wedding ring 'drawings' with wire the length of a living room. However, The length of yarn I had was not long enough to complete the walk, about 20m short. This also hindered by third objective, to measure the street for future reference.

In future I think I might plan beforehand what I am going to do in more detail, so that I am more likely to get what I want out of the experiment... perhaps taking more than one length of string, and taking my time about it. When the string had run out, I wasn't really sure what to do next. I started reeling it back up, but then let it drag along the floor. The yarn started to pull leaves and twigs with it, tangling and looping. Now I have a great length of unravelled yarn, which I am not sure has any value to me. In this case the experience was helpful in coming up with ideas but the physical outcome was not a success.