Emily DiMaio

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www.natureworldnews.com

The Lévy Walk
2014

Wooden dowel rods and hemp
Approximately 15x6 feet, 4 feet tall

Honeybees, sharks, and hunter-gatherer tribes each follow a similar random walk in traveling, hunting, pollination, etc.  The "steps" can be mathematically calculated and while each path is not identical, they each follow a similar angular shape in which the groups cover one large area, travel in a single line elsewhere and repeat.  This path was illustrated using a GPS tracking device that traced the footpath of the Hadzabe, one of the last native hunter-gatherer tribes in Tanzania.

In January 2014, I spent a month traveling throughout the country of Tanzania learning about wildlife, conservation areas and the culture of several tribes that hosted me.  One of the most fascinating groups that I stayed with was the Hadza tribe and had the opportunity to go on a hunting outing with one of the members named Paulo (who told us we had heavy feet.. we didn't catch anything).

My piece simplifies the overall form of the path illustrated by the Hadzabe's recorded travel.  The wooden dowel rods and hemp represent the flexible wood and animal hyde used to make bows and arrows which the tribe hunts with.  I wanted the grass to overgrow where the piece was installed, which it will continue to do as it remains there.  There are moments where the string varies randomly throughout the dowel rods to indicate the unpredictability of the path based on the events of each hunting outing.  It is large enough to walk around, explore and notice the interactions that the lines created by the string have with one another as it changes with the individual's location and proximity to the piece.