The purpose of this blog is to write a bit about the journey of my film and expanded cinema project, ‘Of Walking on Thin Ice (Camino to Cop26)’, so far!
The project first began while I attended a March for Nature in the Summer of 2021. I heard that a group of activists from various climate groups, including and led by Extinction Rebellion Faith Bridge had planned a 500 mile walk from London and Bristol, respectively, to Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit. The project was called Camino to COP. I was looking for a way that I could have a creative impact on the climate crisis. This project had many positive aspects that interwove with my existing artist practice. I discovered about the walk quite late, and I was quickly catapulted into the heart of the project through XR activist, Leon Panitzke. I didn’t have time to pull any support together. The walk left Parliament Square on Sunday 5th September 2021 and I just had to run with whatever film stock and equipment that I could carry. I decided to shoot 16mm film on my Bolex RX5, not the easiest of choices but has a creative and practical approach to filmmaking that inspires me. As I was also on my own, recording sound necessitated a pragmatic approach. Bolex is picture only (no sound). So, I rigged microphones in my ears and recorded binaurally, bringing my shotgun microphone along to capture audio conversations with people as we walked. Working within these conditions and constraints is familiar to me, but even though the walk is not a fast pace, it is still a continually moving target, and when carrying one’s own gear and shooting/recording sound etc. at the same time, it was a challenge.
I decided early to make as much of the film ‘in camera’ as possible. Which means you essentially edit as you shoot, making the decisions as you go. The large task of wrangling and organising material comes with the sound recordings and building the soundscape for the film. Any visual layering and special effects come in camera by rewinding the film and compositing etc. I was sourcing inspiration from early Soviet cinema, especially Dziga Vertov’s, ‘Man with a Movie Camera’
On the train down to London, I started to re-read Werner Herzog’s diary, “Of Walking in Ice” This book is about Herzog’s spontaneous three-week pilgrimage from Munich to Paris, walking day and night through winter, to see his close friend and film historian, Lotte H Eisner, who was ill and dying. I read that Herzog was determined to prevent this and he believed an act of walking would somehow keep Eisner from death.
The way in which Werner wrote these words inspired the aggressively short, sharp visual approach when shooting this film. When reading, I felt the frozen fingers gripping a nub of a pencil, scribbling thoughts on sodden pages, and I wanted to attempt to create that same feeling through the images that I made.
Throughout the film-making journey, I would speak to the walking community, who really became collaborators in the making of the work. They were, of course, the subjects of the film and their quest the narrative. During the evenings, after a hard day spent walking in the elements, we would discuss ideas that inspired us; reflect on the time spent walking, and I would introduce themes that reappear in my own work. I would make small interventions, like showing a short passage of an Alice Oswald poem to Reverend Helen, or to talk of Nan Shepherd and Macfarlane to Jelena. Ideas that sometimes chimed with events that I’d filmed and sometimes events that I’d missed on camera that I was searching for ways that I could include later, like helping hands, building community etc. As the walkers learned and discovered, so did I, through them. These conversations formed the building blocks of the soundscape that run underneath the visual journey.
My approach was to spend whatever time I could spare filming the group walking (which was limited) and then return to my lab to process the footage and organise the audio recordings. This is a very useful way to figure out how to make and shape a film, to edit as you shoot. By this time, I had Nick as my camera assistant on the filming trips, so this was very helpful.
An important moment for the film was that during the final two filming trips, the one in Carlisle and the penultimate day in Blantyre (Glasgow), I showed rough cuts of the film to the Caministas (walkers). I brought along with me a very basic projection set up. A low fi digital projector, speakers and a pop-up screen. We set up in the community hall, where we slept and ate at the very end of the day, just for some evening’s entertainment and to help boost morale. I thought that the energy and the emotion of that screening might feedback into the filmmaking somehow. It was a very inspiring and beautiful moment to be a part of, and was the catalyst for the ideas around the film’s distribution plan — which we can find out more about below…
As an artist I explore ideas around ‘expanded cinema’ by bringing film into landscapes and blurring boundaries between film, live theatre and visual art. Therefore, I quickly realised the effectiveness of the whole film and walk, when experienced together. We proposed to walk the film on foot to the communities along our way to Glasgow. So that we can re-visit and continue our action. The walk, the food, the conversations are all integral parts of the film’s experience. We aim to present in community halls, cinemas, artists venues alike. Each screening experience will be tailored to the community, which is one of the major learnings from the entire pilgrimage to COP26. That we need to build community and our actions need to be specific to our own unique environments and situations.
We have had a tremendous start to the first screenings and distribution plan. The film was invited to present the World Premiere at the excellent Encounters Film Festival in Bristol, an international festival with prestige. In celebration of the expanded cinema ethos, the film was projected splashed across the side of the giant Lloyd’s building in the amphitheatre, at the Bristol Harbour. XR Walkers (led by Helen Locke) suggested an equally ambitious, 135 mile walk from London to Bristol that would carry the film to the World Premiere. (See Guardian article here:
The walk started from Parliament Square (their original starting point) and completed the triangle back to Bristol (the other starting point).
I carved a film staff from buddleia and cherry wood, at By Our Hands workshop, that would hold the film inside the staff and would be befitting of the journey the film would make. Even if one individual couldn’t walk the whole way, then perhaps the staff could be carried by the ‘Film Bearers’ who would host the screening events around the UK, as a symbol of the film’s own pilgrimage.
Helen L writes:
We gathered in front of St. James Piccadilly, just as we had just over a year earlier, on Sunday 18th September 2022. When we walked to Glasgow the year before, we averaged 10.5 miles per day. This time, though the walk to Bristol was much shorter, the daily mileage was 50% more with four consecutive days of 20+ miles. This was necessary for all sorts of logistical reasons but also reflected the increased need to act in the face of climate crisis.
As the Walk Lead for the Camino to COP, we’d faced and figured out lots of challenges — fitness, injuries, accidents, pandemic, weather, traffic, keeping ourselves healthy and happy… We learned a lot. For the premiere of the film, an incredible team from the Camino to COP came together to walk the film from London to Bristol. We slotted back together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. What Ben revealed in his film about our journey to Glasgow was the strong and compassionate community that we had built — the type of community that we need as we are confronted by climate breakdown. And what we proved when we walked to Bristol was that that this community is real. Our hope is alive; and our hope is in action.
So we were back sleeping on church floors and making porridge in a vast pot every morning. And sharing our stories with the communities that hosted us along the way. It’s hard to put into words all the value of these experiences — the best way is to come and join us! On a walk or come and see the film and experience for yourself some of that Camino spirit.
For me, this is best summed up by Belle whom we met in Bristol, by chance encounter, and was able to join us for the premiere
“I could have stayed at home tonight but instead I have seen the best of humankind.”
The World Premiere was a very moving experience. Watching the faces of the audience (both walkers and those who didn’t walk) being emotional, happy and moved to tears was a very good feeling. I knew then, at that point, the film that we had made achieved all that we had hoped. There was a huge range of demographics that made it out to the Bristol City harbour at night, on that evening in September. Old and young; black and white. After the film, one woman with a walking frame just clasped my hand tightly holding back the tears, speechless. Others thanked me for allowing them to be part of something they could not physically do themselves. There were young film students super enthusiastic about the work and the way it was made. And after the second screening, in the cinema the next day, (which was a whole new experience — reborn in that cinema sound space), many people requested to host the film and become ‘Film Bearers’ themselves. When several filmmakers offer to be that champion, to show your work in their community, then this says something about the quality of the work.
Helen L writes:
Watching the film at both premiere screenings in Bristol, my heart ached for the rest of our Camino family who weren’t able to be there and I resolved to provide another opportunity for more people to see Of Walking on Thin Ice as soon as practicable. The COP27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh was also coming up, which held such resonance for us, so we decided to hold the screening on 6th November 2022, the same day as the climate talks were due to start. The screening had to be in London, and I’d seen some independent films at the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe some years previously and the venue definitely has the wow factor! Not without its challenges (the venue is a tunnel shaft and audiences need to use earphones — a la silent disco — to tune into the film audio), but well worth the effort for a special London launch event. It was a special audience of Caministas, XR Walkers, family and friends.
In the days running up to this event on 6th November 2022, I could not stop thinking about our experience of walking to Glasgow and what a different experience Egyptian activists have. Plans evolved and the screening was preceded by a vigil at Parliament Square. For all 15 days of COP27 we stood in solidarity with the thousands of activists and human rights defenders who suffer intimidation, harassment, arrest, detention, torture and death in Egypt for their engagement in climate and other social justice issues. We called on our Government and civil society organisations attending COP27 to speak out about this repression. Unless civil and political freedoms are defended, there will be no meaningful climate justice.
So this screening event started with delivering a letter to our Prime Minister, before our hour’s vigil (in the pouring rain!) in Parliament Square. From there, we walked to Rotherhithe, the rain stopped and a warm breeze dried us off. More people joined us as we walked along the Thames path. After a brief welcome — with vegan cake, which is very much part of our Camino tradition! — we descended the fours flights of stairs into the tunnel shaft for the film. We were a full house and everyone came and Film Bearers have emerged…
We currently have over 30 film screenings in discussion.
Rachel’s words
To coincide with the timing of COP27, on the 16th of November a screening of ‘Walking on Thin Ice’ took place at The IronWorks, Southend’s new Arts and Culture Venue, this was organised by Caminista Rachel White.
Just over 40 people attended this unique screening, bringing together film, art, storytelling, and activism, to create an exciting audience participation event!
Block printing/Art design was made available at the event and the attendees were encouraged to bring along clothing or cloth bags or anything you would like printed with our beautiful designs.
As “finding hope through action” is the films main theme, after the screening there was an opportunity for discussion/ presenting options of how we all might each consider what actions we can take ourselves, on the greatest threat that humanity currently faces.
There was also an opportunity to recognise local activists’ achievements in the local Southend community and hear from attendees themselves, about their personal stories into activism, including our very own walk leader of Camino to COP26, Helen Locke who informed the audience about how the walk to Glasgow was inspired and made a reality!
A very interesting first foray into activism! I enjoyed the film, what a great effort was made by walkers to raise awareness of the climate crisis. My views of XR certainly enlightened — Pat Harle
Profoundly moving. Inspiring to see ‘hope in action’! — Fiona Clapperton
Superb film and probably better in cine, which gave it a flavour of the old newsreels of Aldermaston marches of CND against the nuclear warheads being built there. The joint singing of ‘Will ye go Lassie Go’ showed great camaraderie and a love of the land — Paul Styal
Of Walking on Thin Ice 8 minute version was selected to launch CultureCOP 27 in Egypt
This event took place at COP27, on the night of 10th November at the Four Seasons in Sharm, Eygpt. The CultureCOP Assembly also took place on 11th November at the Sharm el-Sheikh Museum of Antiquities. It was a full day and evening of cultural celebration and musical performances and film screenings which we feel honoured to have had the film be included in.
Stephen writes:
“Extinction Rebellion St Albans showed “Of Walking on Thin Ice” on 1 December at the Quaker Meeting House in St Albans.
Five people joined me for the short walk from St Peter’s church in the town centre. St Peter’s was the church from where we had set off to Harpenden on the Camino to COP.
Members of XR St Albans had set chairs out in the room and there were hot drinks and biscuits served before the film.
I introduced the film and Mark Percival a Quaker and member of XR projected the film onto the wall.
28 people watched the film and then Janet Monahan led the post film session. After a minute of silence to reflect people were invited to share their responses with someone they did not know. There were people from XR, Quakers in St Albans and Harpenden, the Green Party, Oxfam and others.
Then they asked questions to Alan Muhr and myself. It was great to have another Caminista to contribute his valuable responses. There was a lot of positive reactions to the film. I invited people to share their thoughts on post its on a whiteboard.”
Helen writes:
Going forward, we would like every person in the United Kingdom to have the opportunity to see this film. Of Walking On Thin Ice is more than a treasured memory, more than a beautiful film, more than an eye-opener about activism; it shows us that it is possible to advocate and influence and be the change that we want for our world. Please get in touch with us if you would like to share the film with your community by becoming a Film-Bearer.