We had fun brainstorming for National Walking Day post yesterday, so here’s another one about walking. But we’re seeing some snow showers today here in Cambridge. Not a good day for walking. We can’t wait for the spring to arrive!
Francis Alÿs (b. 1959) is a Belgian-born, Mexico-based artist who creates a diverse body of artwork spanning from performance, social practice, video, and paintings. And walking has been an important element in his work throughout his career.
In 1991, Alÿs dragged a small magnetic toy dog on wheels throughout the streets of Mexico City to collect any metallic residue lying in its path (“The Collector”). In 1995, he took a walk after unravelling the sweater he has on, leaving an ever-lengthening, blue-thread trail in his wake. (“Fairy Tales”).
This small publication is a record of a unique series that has been described as a storyboard or archive of Alÿs’ oeuvre, polyptych of 111 paintings called le temps du sommeil. The intriguing images are paired with the words, or instructions, behind his past and future performances.
Le temps du sommeil Francis Alÿs ; catalogue editor, Catherine Lampert. Dublin : Irish Museum of Modern Art ; Milano : Charta, [2010] English HOLLIS number: 990123544680203941
