The 50 Paces Project

I am creating an art installation / floating gallery / Xmas present for my father by taking photos of interesting places and things every 50 paces from my home.

By inviting friends, family and strangers to participate via Flickr.com I hope to have a fascinating set of photos for the installation.

You can participate, by submitting your own photos to the 50 Paces Project.  Just step out your door, walk 50 paces, and take a photo of something cool and interesting that you see. Walk another 50 paces,and do it again.  Repeat all the way to 2000 paces from your door. 

I’ve set up a Flickr.com group to collect the photos, 50 Paces Project.  If you aren’t already a Flickr.com member, you can join easily if you have a Yahoo ID… and almost as easily if you don’t (by creating a Yahoo ID which is free and requires no maintenance.)

The 50 Paces Project Installation

In early January, I will collect and print the photos submitted to this group, laminate them and they will be hung on trees embedded in the river ice every 50 Paces. Photos will be hung on the corresponding tree – i.e. the “50 paces” photos will be on the tree 50 paces onto the river. The “1000 paces” photos will be on the tree mid-river at 1000 paces.

What is a pace?

a pace is a normal sized step for an adult. Generally just short of 1 metre or 3 feet. Based on my pace, a normal city block is between 50-100 paces. 

For older photos you want to submit you can use Google’s local feature to map the distance and 1km=1000 paces

Tagging

Please tag the photos with the distance from your home in multiple of 50 paces so they can be hung on the appropriate tree. Eg. 50paces, 200paces, etc.

Printing

by submitting a photo to the 50 Paces Project you are giving me approval to print your photo for use in this schemey project of mine. Thanks!

Warning

People might look at you funny if you are walking down the street counting to yourself.   My advice? Start twitching a little and they’ll give you a wide berth!

The 50 Paces Project Back Story

Last winter I lived my father’s island life waiting for the ice to form on the river so I could cross to shore. [See Watching the ice form… a month spent on an island – off-line, off-grid, off-shore.]

Part of this process included testing the ice to make sure it was safe to cross. The rule is that every 50 paces, you stop and chop a hole in the ice to test its thickness. Where the ice is safe to cross, you marking the path path by putting trees in the holes you’ve chopped in the ice. These trees become a road to and from the island until the ice is unsafe to cross again.

If you are reading this, I hope you’ll consider joining in… even if it’s just to watch the installation grow.