Thoughts

‘Please draw a line behind you on your route’

Instructions: if you find one of these, please draw a line behind you on your route to wherever you are going. When you don’t want to partake anymore, make a mark on the ground that is individual to you (e.g. initials, a drawing, your name etc.) and drop the stick, ready for the next person to find.

Thankyou for your participation!

My name is Samantha Jones. I am currently studying Art and Design in Leeds. If you are interested in looking more into the project feel free to visit my blog address… http://linesbehindyou.blogspot.co.uk

so i did the chalk square thing today aka 'lines behind you' draw a meter square outside car phone warehouse (near urban outfitters) with parcel tape. the aim is to stay in this square because if i call people over then it can be the starting point, but to also highlight the fact that i'm in a boundary and that they are not, so maybe an underlying idea that they might think about the amount of freedom they have?

at first i thought i would spend a good few hours in the square but was surprised that the sticks and chalk were given out within about half an hour. i tried to ask a wide range of people, young, old, people from different races, people that were trying to ignore me! i tried to avoid people who were running from the train, people on the phone and people that had i pods in.

i asked the people... 'hi there, could you help me with my project please it wont take long. i have a stick here and i'd like you to draw a line behind you to wherever you're going. when you've had enough of drawing please make a mark on the ground that is individual to you, e.g. a drawing, your name or initials and prop it up against the wall for the next person to find. there is a note on there for them to read that explains what they have to do if they want to partake'. i then documented this by photographing the participant whilst they were walking away with the stick. i also documented to sticks i found at the end of their trails and the markings people had made.

i got denied by 6/7 people straight away. one girl i explained it to and then she was like, erm i don't really want to is that ok?! so i let her go :) the other people were hesitant, others were really enthusiastic and were asking more questions about it.

one old guy came over and was asking about my project so i had a long conversation about it with him, but he didn't want to take part. another had found a stick that had been put down and followed the line back to me in my square, he'd read the note on the stick and complimented me with 'it's really harmless, creative and fun' he said he had a son that would be interested in the project and asked for my website, but all i had was a telephone number. he took it. he wanted to partake so i ave him a stick and off he went. also a drunk uy came over and was asking how much it was to buy one, and i explained to him that it was fee if you partake in the activity. i had to explain quite a few times for him to understand. in the end i gave him a stick and he draw a womanly looking figure on the ground, then stumbled and broke the chalk and dropped the stick! i really didn't mind this.. it was funny and a good in site into his life.

noah i met later on, he asked me if i was the girl doing the activity and i said yes, we had a chat and he told me where his stick was.

the participants:
family of 3, little boy used stick
family of 4, little boy used the stick
mum and daughter, daughter used stick
woman with green eyes in denim
woman with broken arm
guy with a limp
old hippy guy who complimented it
noah. (they guy i bumped into later) he left his stick at the corn exchange
the guy in a hurry
two guys on the way to the car park
drunk guy
(2 more also)

so then i decided to follow the trails! things i noticed:
people started to interact with the enviroment, for example

• walked around lamp posts a few times
• walked in and out of bollards
• drew the line on walls over windows
• went down alley ways and then did a u turn?!
• some of the trails would stop when they crossed a road and then started at the other side
• people did actually read the note and carry on, i found 2 sticks with this...
• when i spoke to people they were concerned about what the council would think and scared for me that they might be able to track me down through the note. 
• i started to notice that people make different lines. 
• i found a few lines that were in two's as in two lines nearly parallel to each other as if they were following the previously laid down line. 
• also one line had done a wobbly line over the other making a giant heart beat looking thing along the pavement.
• one guy went so far that i didn't know where i was and he only stopped because the chalk ran out. 
• when i had been out following other lines, i got back to the square about an hour later to find that the road i was on had been covered in lines and i could differentiate between some lines because of the over crowdedness. it was like one of the sticks had gone viral!
• the lines that were done by children were very broken up and hard to follow. 
• many people were asking if they could buy one. 
• 7 out of 14 sticks were at the end of their trails. 

oh there was also another guy who shouted to me you can read and cycle?! and then i saw him later at the train station, he was asking about my work, we had a conversation. he thought i was crazy.

likes:
i really like that the fact that the sticks are still out there.. the project still has the potential to carry on going without any of my direct input. it's in the hands of the public now and they can do what they like with it. how i didn't make the sticks 'pretty' this might make people want to steal them and take them out of the area. 

dislikes:
lack of confidence to go there, sometimes awkard to parsuade someone with the project.

what to do next time?

• make stick with a spare chalk and tape
• have a website and card handy to give out. 
• make a sign to invite people over, instead of me nagging them.
• try at different types of the day
• try in different places
• try giving them to people on the bus. 
• do a illustartor drawing of routes and destinations and times. 
• TRY WITH VIDEO