Artist Louise Ann Wilson is asking residents across Lancaster, Morecambe Bay and the surrounding areas to submit their favourite ‘lockdown’ walks to create a unique artwork for Breathing Space, a Lancaster Arts project.

Entitled ‘Lockdown in Lancaster and Morecambe: Walk, Run, Pedal, Push, Map’, the project focuses on how, throughout the lockdown restrictions, getting outside became so important.

Precious time outdoors provides much-needed breathing space both mentally, physically and emotionally.

Louise Ann Wilson, an artist renowned for her work with walks , has teamed up regularly with Lancaster Arts, Lancaster University's award-winning arts organisation.

She said: “I have followed paths that have taken me to parts of Lancaster that I didn’t know were there! I am now becoming more aware of how the city connects; where tracks, streams, waterways, roads and the river meet and cross.

“All of the mapped routes submitted will be combined into a single map. This will then become a bespoke artwork that abstracts and stitches the routes and paths into a made-at-home PPE intensive care gown.”

You can hand draw your routes or capture them digitally via GPS.

To support social distancing rules and not exacerbate overcrowding on footpaths, the collated routes will not be shared widely until later in the year (post lockdown).

To find out more about the project and how you can submit your favourite walks, runs or cycle rides visit lancasterarts.org/lockdown or email louise@louiseannwilson.com.

Louise’s project has been commissioned by Lancaster Arts, which has devised a support programme called ‘Breathing Space’ to connect people with each other and support the freelance arts community in Lancashire during the current pandemic.

The mapping of walks project is a part of ‘Breathing Space’, a programme devised to offer reflective opportunities to create new ideas for how to connect people here in Lancashire and support the freelance arts community during the current pandemic.

Director of Lancaster Arts Jocelyn Cunningham said: “We have been reflecting on how we, together with artists, can best contribute in these challenging times. Some aspects of Breathing Space will be for everyone to take part in, whilst others will be directed towards artists, volunteers or students living on the campus at Lancaster University.”

Other Breathing Space commissions include dance artist Jenny Reeves who is creating a series of dance pieces based on how we have changed our patterns of walking and freelancer photographer Darren Andrews who has been photographing empty streets and landscapes in this extraordinary time. All commissions will be shared in Breathing Space on the Lancaster Arts website