Walking Matters, Part 2
Ever since our ancestors rose to their feet, our species has been defined by walking upright. But the act involves our minds as well as our bodies. We interpret the act of walking, and give it our stamp - from ramblers to Rousseau, from models and tramps to Buddhist monks. In this two-part series, Marilyn Powell explores the world...
Walking Matters, Part 2 - "The Steps We Take"
Ever since our ancestors rose to their feet, our species has been defined by walking upright. But the act involves our minds as well as our bodies. We interpret the act of walking, and give it our stamp - from ramblers to Rousseau, from models and tramps to Buddhist monks. In this two-part series, Marilyn Powell explores the world of walking and what it means to us.
Listen to Walking Matters, Part 1
Participants in program:
Dr. Jan Andrysek, scientist and researcher at the Holland Bloorview Research Institute, Assistant Professor of Biomaterial and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto.
Cheryl Strayed, writer.
Dan F. Mclaughlin, animated and experimental film-maker.
Geoff Nicholson, writer.
Naomi Savage, mother, drama teacher, Toronto District School Board.
Robert Macfarlane, writer, critic, academic, Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Elli Weisbaum, student, documentary-maker, and our guide on a Buddhist walking meditation.
When he was animating his own 'walk cycle,' Dan McLaughlin studied the work of Eadweard Muybridge, the famous 19th century photographer who captured human locomotion in still photographs.
Reading List:
Dan McLaughlin, 11 Films by Dan McLaughlin, Pyramid Media, 2004.
Geoff Nicholson, The Lost Art of Walking: the History, Science, Philosophy, and Literature of Pedestrianism, Riverhead Books, 2008; Walking in Ruins, Harbour Books, 2013.
Cheryl Strayed, Wild: from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, Knopf, 2012; Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar, Vintage Books, 2012; Torch, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006.
Robert Macfarlane, The Old Ways: a Journey on Foot, Hamish Hamilton, the
Penguin Group, 2013; The Wild Places, Penguin Books, 2007; Mountains of the Mind: Adventures in Reaching the Summit, Vintage Books, 2004.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Robert Aitken, The Long Road Turns to Joy: a Guide to Walking Meditation, Parallax Press, 1996.
Related websites:
Dan Mclaughlin - UCLA Animation
An Interview with UCLA Educator/Indie Filmmaker Dan McLaughlin
11 Films by Dan McLaughlin - Pyramid Media
Planting Seeds of Compassion - Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation