Taking place in the picturesque setting of The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, away from the mania of the Fringe, A Walk at the Edge of the World offers a brief respite to its audience.
Focusing on a link between topographical space and mental state, and a fascination with the way we map our world as we map our lives, A Walk at the Edge of the World, stems from that artistic and literary genre of psychogeography. Despite such intellectual preoccupations having a presence throughout history (Henry David Thoreau’s Walking) psychogeography as a genre only came into its own in the second half of the twentieth century. Now pioneered and redefined by contemporary writers such as Robert Macfarlane, Ian Sinclair and Roger Deakin, it signals an attempt to re-evaluate, remap and reconnect with the land.
A Walk at the Edge of the World begins with a stroll in silence along the Water of Leith, the tranquillity of which is refreshing and thought provoking. It feels good to be walking, moving through the land, not for any particular purpose but simply to walk. You notice the surrounding beauty: Edinburgh’s rural secrets hidden amongst the houses. The audience is then led back to a small studio, where Ian Cameron gives a convincing performance – half monologue, half lecture – on walking, on conscious walking, taking us through the well-trodden paths of an imagined life. Magnetic North’s sensitive production encourages the audience to rethink the way we walk, and the way we live.