Experimental Dog Walks
“During a walk with my dog and best friend Bruce through the Scheveningse bosjes in The Hague, the netherlands, I was wondering: What would an architecture for dogs would look like?
Observing him snooping and listening, I asked my self, how to develop a sense on what is important for him in terms of space and palce – the most logical way to answer this question was: to follow him.”
A Experimental Dog Walk is an artistic reseach practice, developed by Alexander Johannes Heil, comprised of three phases: A guided meditative grounding session to tune in to the senses of the dog, an exploratory dog walk, where the dog leads the group, and an reflective recap session where participants share their observations. The aim of these walks, is to expand awareness of our surroundings and to develop empathy to other than human experiences.
Spatial Exploration through Other Than Human Perspectives!
The Experimental Dog Walks invite participants on a guided dog walk to engage with their environment in new and unexpected ways. I developed this cultural-scientific and aesthetic practice based on methods such as Lucius Burckhardt’s Strollology and Hildegard Westerkamps Soundwalking. I added a non-human dimension to these concepts, in which you intenionally go for a walk, to shift your focus between senses and/or expand your perception of the surroundings. Drawing from the fact that dogs perceive their environment differently than humans, the walks poseing the question: Can the knowledge of other than human sensory systems heighten our awareness of the environment around us?
What Participants Learn:
- To heighten their sensory awareness and experience of spaces through alternative perspectives.
- To use their imagination to acknowledge and navigate parallel spatial realities.
- To explore how sensory focus can deepen connections with their spatial environment and its multi-species inhabitants.
Starting from a meditative session, tunig the group in on the dogs senses, the participants will learn about three canine senses —sight, smell, and hearing— and choose one to focus on during the walk. The group then embarks on a guided walk silently following Bruce, a kind dog serving as the workshop’s guide and inspiration. By observing Bruce’s movements and imaginatively interpreting the sensory stimuli he might notice, participants will engage deeply with the surroundings.
Following the walk, participants will gather to discuss their observations. This dialogue will allow reflections on the diverse voices encountered, from human to animal, mechanical to natural, and will encourage participants to share insights about the unseen and unheard dynamics of the experienced spaces.
