The Route
STAGE ONE. 6 – 17 March 2019 (completed)
STAGE TWO. 15 – 28 May 2019 (completed)
STAGE THREE. 14 – 24 July 2019 (completed)
STAGE FOUR. 9 – 18 September 2019 (completed)
STAGE FIVE. 23 November – 5 December 2019 (completed)
Please contact Nelson-Atkins for more precise timings should you wish to see the wall in progress.
Seven yards of wall stays connected to the existing wall as a reminder of where Walking Wall began. The remaining 100 yards is taken down each time from the rear and then fed to the front, thus extending the wall in a continuous process of ‘building, unbuilding and rebuilding’.
The wall advances 100 yards at each stage except during Stage Two where it continued for an additional 30 yards in order to clear the road. The wall ‘rests’ for a period of several weeks between each stage.
Walking Wall will reach its final resting place during Stage Five where it will be permanently installed, part inside and part outside of the museum.
The stone is moved by hand and wheelbarrow. The total amount of wall built will be about 537 yards – around 560 tons of stone will have been moved during its making.
Two wallers lay the stone alongside two supporting wallers, and they are in turn supported by four to six people moving stone. The crew is achieving over ten yards of completed wall each day.
Establishing a good working rhythm is critical to the speed and success of the wall. This requires concentration. It is important that the wallers are allowed to work without interruption and it is requested that people watch the making of the wall without asking too many questions of those working upon it – particularly those laying stones.The wall will be as open as possible to visitors during its making. How the wall affects the movement and flow of people around the museum is part of the work.
Whilst Walking Wall is intrinsically linked to the movement of people, the wall itself is not intended to be walked upon. The artist will be the only person to do that and only then in order to document the wall as it is being made.
