Stokes Croft artist embarks on ‘big northern walk’ across Scandinavia

An artist has taken a creative response to the challenges of climate-friendly touring.

The theatre maker is embarking on a “super slow” walking tour that will take him on a circuitous route to Denmark via Scotland and Norway.

Tom Bailey, creative director of award-winning theatre company Mechanimal, is responding to the climate-damaging impacts of tours which usually involve heavy reliance on air travel.

His walk will culminate in a performance of his show Crap At Animals, a playful and poignant exploration of species extinction, at the Passage Festival near Copenhagen.

Tom Bailey wants to raise awareness of species extinction and spread his passion for the natural world

Tom’s radically different approach to touring was, he says, inspired by wildlife journeys and how nature travels, looking to the natural world to answer questions about sustainable touring.

He’s tracking the past, present and future boreal treelines that were formerly much more present in Scotland and still exist in abundance in Norway – taking in 10,000 year old fossilised tree remains and barren areas cleared for farming.

“With the trees I found an ecological narrative and link between these countries. As Earth warms, this huge forest – that used to sweep across Russia, Norway and Canada – is now moving northwards,” he explains.

“It’s moving into the Arctic region, up from lower Scandinavia and Scotland. My walk is mirroring this movement.”

As well as a personal pilgrimage, Tom will be displaying a piece of fabric containing a list of 44,000 extinct and endangered species on the IUCN Red List.

So far he’s been met with “amazement at the oddness of it. People are generally cheering me on. But it has been quite a solo, solitary walk sometimes.”

The right to roam and camp in wild areas that Tom is taking advantage of on his trip exists in Scotland and Norway but not in England

Despite the loneliness and physical challenges, spending time in a wild landscape has been an uplifting experience that has given Tom the opportunity to gain perspective. He’s keen to impart some of this sense of awe and positivity through his artistic work.

“It’s just huge – seeing these breathtaking, magical landscapes,” he gushes. “We have amazing biodiversity on our planet. I’m extremely passionate about nature and that’s embedded in everything I do.

“But for the most part climate change comes to us as a highly negative, data-dominated, apocalypse narrative. It’s very difficult to find positive stories about climate and nature. It gets to you after a while.”

Tom uses theatre to present the topic in a way that he hopes will excite people.

Tom has found solace in solitude and perspective on his place in the world by spending time in breathtaking natural landscapes such as remote Scottish islands

“I try to find different ways of engaging people at a time when the discourse is dominated by this worry, fear, uncertainty.

“Sure, the arts, especially theatre, is a tiny place with a relatively small audience – so I’m very realistic about the change I can hope to affect in people. But I try to create a ‘third space’ that allows for meditation and reflection within the work itself.”

He’s got a long way to go and is concentrating on the road ahead, while anticipating his return when the time comes later in the summer.

“I’m very connected to the green space in Bristol,” says Tom, who grew up in the city and is now based in Stokes Croft. “Ashton Court, Leigh Woods, even a sneak down to the Mendips – lovely.

“I think my body will be fit with walking and keen to move in a dynamic way when I get back. Also friends and family, I do miss them, very much. I’m definitely looking forward to my return in early August.”

Follow along with Tom’s journey here: journeyofalosthuntergatherer.wordpress.com

All photos: Tom Bailey

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