In June I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to participate in a Walking Art Residency at Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island. Led by Simon Pope and Sarah Cullen, our days together consisted of discussions about walking, as social/cultural/political/religious practice and as artistic method; unstructured studio time and studio visits; shared cooking, excellent meals, and campfire smores; and many, many walks, solo and in small and large groups, along the water and across the island.

Many of my fellow artists facilitated walks and walking experiences for our excellent cohort. I went on walks and learned about the impacts of cormorants on the trees and about the queer history of Hanlon’s Point beach. On another walk I went to witness and help document an exercise in multispecies attunement, what Darren O’Brien calls “deep canine topography.” One morning, a member of our group invited us to walk his sand labyrinth, created in the early hours before the beach-goers arrived.

I led a walk one afternoon to discuss climate noticings in the present as well as future imaginings. The timing was unfortunately auspicious, as across the course of the residency, we could see how our views of downtown Toronto changed from clear to hazy as smoke from persistent wildfires obscured the city.

During studio time, I spent the hours drawing, reading, writing an essay for my upcoming book, and continuing my episodic project of Taking Care. And going on walks, of course.

I am grateful to Sarah and Simon and all of my cohort for the walks, the connections, the discussions, the new thinking, and the shared experiences. We didn’t get a whole group photo but many of us rode a ferry together back to the city at the end of the residency.