Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury
Not many people realise that as an eight-year old boy living in Shrewsbury, Charles Darwin was grieving the loss of his mother. His grief led him on long solitary walks, often around the town walls of Shrewsbury.
Two Shropshire artists, Wren Miller and Ray Jacobs, who both have recent experience of bereavement, are inviting people to join them on a circular walk around these town walls.
They see the walking as a chance to share thoughts, memories and feelings associated with loss. Ray Jacobs, an artist whose work is based on movement and dance, points out that the act of walking is healing in itself and that it played a pivotal role throughout Darwin’s life as a space for thinking and helping him cope with stress and ill health.
The project supports a more open and nurturing attitude towards bereavement.
Darwin as a child was not given the chance to grieve the death of his mother, her name not being allowed to be uttered in his family home. This left him with no memories of his mother nor of the long solitary walks he went on while grieving her.
The artist’s state that ‘We felt that there was an opportunity to re -walk Darwin’s pathways in a spirit of presence and remembrance. We wanted the walk to be focused on the openness of remembering and sharing. This is a strong antidote to the silent, held in grieving walk of Darwin’s. This is to be a walk where grief and memories are heard, witnessed and shared, rather than being withheld and denied.
The walk is just part of a bigger project ‘The Darwin Remembrance Path’ that the artists are directing. Funded by Shrewsbury and Atcham Council, the project also involves creating art with children who have lost loved ones, an exhibition of writings, film and drawings from the walk and the creation of a giant remembrance labyrinth to be part of the Darwin Bicentennial celebrations in 2009.
The Darwin Remembrance Walk will take place twice daily, at 8.30am and 6.30pm, every day from July 15th (the anniversary of the death of Charles’ mother) to July 29th. The walk will begin at Mardol Quay Gardens on the southern (town centre) side of the Welsh Bridge and follow the circuit of the town walls.
The walk is a gentle stroll and will last about an hour.
The artists invite anyone who wishes to join them on this walk to meet them at Mardol Quay Gardens to begin the walk. For further information please contact Ray Jacobs on 01743 792052
