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Dan Sumption's avatar

I started regularly picking up litter on our local common (Wadsley & Loxley Common, in Sheffield) during lockdown. Even in what appeared, on the surface, to be uncluttered nature, it's amazing how quickly I could fill an entire bin-bag once I started poking around in the undergrowth.

Now, I live in the most remote part of England, and yet there's rarely a time when I don't come home with something in my pockets (I'm forever forgetting to take a bag, so I now have designated litter-pockets): energy drinks and gels from passing cyclists, vape packaging from the local farmers, sweet and crisp wrappers blown in from far away. A couple of months ago I found a delicate transparent plastic assemblage, which had clearly once been a Peppa Pig foil balloon, worn down to gossamer by months of blowing across heather moorland. I posted it on Instagram, and an artist requested that I send it to them. Can't wait to see what they make of it! Poetry from junk.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2o9Hu_sbQ3/

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2o9Hu_sbQ3/

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Sarah Farley's avatar

Love the idea of turning trash into treasure in that way. I’ll follow along on Insta to see what happens.

I have an idea for an art project using lost shoes. I find a lot of pairs of shoes on my walks. Always pairs, not odd ones. Which in itself is actually very odd.

I like the idea of having designated pockets for rubbish. Bet your dry cleaning costs a fortune!

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Dan Sumption's avatar

Dry cleaning? What's that? 😅 I'm just a mucky bugger.

Trash into treasure... it's really a visual/plastic art equivalent of what you do, spinning walks into words.

There are a couple of trees close to where I live, on the roadside between Alston & Penrith, which are full of old shows. I ponder about them every time I drive past. Have just googled and found this: https://walkersarewelcome.org.uk/2013/03/boot-tree-featured-on-bbc/

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Sarah Farley's avatar

That boot tree is really interesting. I wonder if, left unchecked, it might start to damage the tree in some way? Here in London we have lots of shoes dangling from phone lines and other cables. At some point, the weight might detach the cable and that’ll be the end of someone’s broadband 😂😂

But thanks for linking me to a site I hadn’t come across before. I love hearing about all these walking communities and initiatives.

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