This study explored running as an artistic practice and examined the intersections of movement and materiality in the landscape. It centres on running as a form of practice-led inquiry, exploring its potential to engage with landscape, materiality, and identity. Photographs were gathered during running activities on trails in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, and Stockholm, Sweden, and through practice-based research conducted in the art studios at the University of Huddersfield. The principal objective of this research was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the landscape while investigating materiality, identity, and their interconnection with the landscape through the practice of running. Additionally, the study aims to examine the potential contributions of artistic research through running. Dérive was employed as a central methodology, an experimental and psychogeographical approach to explore the landscape to achieve these objectives. This method enabled an intuitive collection of observations, found objects and embodied knowledge; generating insights into the landscape and forming a framework for a case study that integrates identity and the environment. I created a digital image archive to situate running within the broader discussion of contemporary art practice. This archive examines the works of contemporary artists and theorists engaging with assemblage theory, object ontology, and new materialism. The findings from this research demonstrate that running serves as a productive method for collecting data from the landscape and offers the potential to expand and enrich established psychogeographical methodologies. My findings indicate that socio-economic hierarchies influence how materials are perceived and engaged with, shaping the cultural tropes and value systems associated with them. Rather than adhering to conventional narratives and terminologies traditionally used to describe objects, this research advocates for the field of artistic practice to adopt a more empathetic approach to materials. Observations in this case study suggested that humans can develop emotional attachments to non-human objects during the act of running, facilitated by repeated encounters and the accumulation of emotional layering over time. This perspective encourages a deeper and more nuanced understanding of material composition, their socio-economic complexities and the intricate relationships between objects and humans.
| Date of Award | 21 May 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Rowan Bailey (Main Supervisor) |
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