Exhibited within St Dominics Prayer Room, part of the Cementa 24 Festival, this installation is an emersive embodiment of the local rivers and watercourses of the Kandos region. Constisting of textile hangings, sculptural water vessels holding water and video projections with a water soundscape and interviews I undertook during my two week residency at WayOut Studios. Local regenerative farmers, indigenous elders, local community members and artists discuss the ecology, philosophy, cultural and emotional attitudes to the River.
"The river is a source of fertility, a provider of water and renewal. Kandos historically an industrial town, water was used in the manufacture of cement, a weir blocked the natural flow of the Cudgegong River. This work acknowledges the significance of local waterways, releasing and bringing the river into the town of Kandos. Man-made artificial constructions mimic the natural; textile hangings evoke a theatrical river wonderland, video with voices of the community discuss the ecological significance and river experiences, and participatory theatrical river costumes are offered; whereby we can all become active performers and caretakers of the river".
