From Bedroom to Birthplace

I recently located the place where I was born. It used to be called Durban Mother's Hospital now it is the Salvation Army . The building has been turned into a hostel /boarding house and is run by a Colonal who promised to look up my birth records in exchange for Kentucky Fried Chicken. The birth records are kept in huge books in a broom cupboard under the stairs. I was born at 4.30 am in bed no. 271 on the 9/03/1978, in a surgery that is now home to a family of five.
The project involved a walk, with my mother,between the place I call ‘Home’ and the point at which I emerged into the world. The walk traces a path between the present and the past,

The journey was documented in the following ways:

-Collecting found objects from the immediate environment.

-Counting steps using a pedometer.

-Carrying a GPS device which logs the distance and speed we were moving at any point in the journey

-Labeling the route with stickers. The stickers advertise a web address on which people can find out more about the project.

-Using Google Earth software I created a place mark for each of the objects which allowed me to note their exact location in terms of lines of longitude and latitude.

- Photographs were taken along the route.

Every found object is labeled with the number of steps taken to that point. The object is photographed in its original location.

Each object holds a specific memory, serving as a reminder of place and experience. These objects contextualize the walk by signifying the nature of the space and time and culture in which the journey is located.