The Rhine, Buehl, Germany

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Heather Hartwood and her husband, living and working in Germany, visit the Rhine.

I liked making a physical connection to my river…I think we often forget how important our waters are for us. We turn on a facet to retrive the water we use and our travels are by car and train and plane and rarely by water anymore…but participating in this project made be remember how important the Rhine is to Germany. The Rhine was a major trade and travel route in centuries past. As you travel up the Autobahn that runs parallel to our bit of the Rhine on one side and the Black Forest hills on the other, you notice a lot – A LOT – of ruined castles on the hills that look down on the river. This means that this was a major source of power for those controlling the traffic on the river for a long time. Not just for trade and travel, but the Rhine has been the center of political disputes as well. For centuries France and Germany has bickered over the true border between their lands…the Germans claimed the French Vosges mountains should be the border between the countries and France claimed the Rhine is the natural dividing line. As a result the French Alsace region just on the other side of the Rhine has gone back and forth between being German and French resulting in a unique joining of culture. The Rhine is mighty, powerful, beautiful and immensly influential in the history of this part of the world. It’s amazing to think how water not only gives us life but also forms our lives and cultures and histories!

Lebnitsa River, Seviievo, Bulgaria

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untitled-1a-copyA photographic installation: Trance Dance Into The River by artist Stanka Tsonkova: USHA.

The river name is LEBNITSA – it is a very small feeder infuses into VIDIMA river and then to ROSITSA river,then YANTRA river fills into the DANUBE – the biggest river crossed Europe running to Black Sea. You see it has a long, long story…The nearest town is SEVLIEVO but it goes through north Bulgaria… Project still in progress.

Kelani River, Columbo, Sri Lanka

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Artist Chaminda Gamage with Aksah Gamage. The temple is the Kelaniya Temple.

Moscow River, Moscow, Russia

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Artist Alexandra Semenova and photos by Mel Theobald.

In 2006 Gennady Troshkov, a painter/sculptor in Moscow, suggested the idea of using a continuous string of pillowcases to act like floating balloons in the Moscow River. Without the aid of an inner lining, he wondered whether they would retain a 3-D shape or sink. Alexandra (Sasha) Semenova, a recent art school graduate, decided to give it a try. On a typically overcast day, Mel Theobald located an ideal cite on the Moscow River directly across from the Kremlin. In this place they were able to descend the embankment and begin their new addition to the World Rivers Project. The broad expanse of the river is trafficked by a heavy flow of sightseeing boats, barges, and other assorted ships.

First a single pillowcase was tied to a hemp chord and thrown into the water like a fish line. Then Sasha began cutting holes at the corners of the remaining cases and stringing them together. Almost kite-like, this string of fabric was flung into the water. After several tries in which the cases simply absorbed the water and began slowly submerging, Mel held open their slit sides forming a pocket of air which allowed them to float. Unfortunately, there was not enough current to carry them away from the landing. Still, there was some success in the playfulness of these dancing fabrics against the yellowing transparency of the almost black water.

As Sasha finished wringing the water from the pillowcases, a quiet wake approached our space as a result of two large ships passing in tandem. Without warning the wave slammed the embankment wall, rebounding onto Sasha and washing away the pillowcases. Four were retrieved, but one disappeared and sank into the depths of the river. Having completed our task we gathered our white treasures and walked for several kilometers in an effort to dry Sasha’s clothing while contemplating the fate of the one that got away.

In Moscow the river is a rolling series of snaking curves which dictate the irregular pattern of streets and bridges. Along its banks are stone walls which control erosion and flooding within the metropolitan areas. Except at Gorky Park the urban Moscow River is relatively inaccessible and is used as a commercial pipeline. The river is 312 miles long with 5 tributaries feeding into the Oka and Volga Rivers. In 1937 the Moscow Canal was built to connect the river to the Upper Volga, allowing for dams and commercial shipping. Within the City of Moscow the river has 49 bridges and provides drinking water.