In the England, our right to roam is under threat. Currently only 8% of the land and 3% of our rivers are applicable to right to roam. Much of these areas are access islands- places that are unreachable due to being fully surrounded by private land. New land policy is currently in development that may restrict this further.
Dartmoor is now the last place in the country where it is legal to wild camp, and this right is currently being contested in the supreme court by private land owners. As someone who was raised near Dartmoor, I have grown to hold a great respect for it and its history. I have many memories there and the moors have taught me life lessons that I will never forget. I strongly feel that places like Dartmoor should belong to all of us, and their value can not be quantified.
In this project, I aim to highlight the issues surrounding our right to roam and the countercultural movement underpinning the campaign for freedom to roam. I will be focussing on my local Nottingham area, with walking as the main act of expression, and documenting my journeys through the use of different media. With my work, I hope to connect the audience to their own memories of roaming, both celebrating the joy of freedom, and helping them understand the magnitude of what we are at risk of losing.
I will be taking inspiration from artists that use walking as art, as well as researching the campaign for the right to roam. I plan to explore the theme from different avenues, looking at maps and the local landscape.