Kaldakvísl River, Mosfellssveit, Iceland

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Artist Anna Joelsdottir visits her childhood home.

“I found a peace of an old sheet of mine and tore off a piece where my initials still are! Found it in my mother’s storage. She never throws out anything. This little river Kaldakvisl runs right by the old house I grew up in and my mother still lives in. This was my play grounhd growing up.”

Mosfellssveit is now Mosfellsbaer and the rivers of Mosfellsbær are numerous: Leirvogsá, Kaldakvísl which flows into Suðurá, and Varmá, which was formerly harnessed to power the Álafoss woollen mills. The mouth of the Varmá river is a conservation area, due to the presence of a very rare plant species, the saltmarsh rush (Juncus gerardi), and the whole of the Varmá river, classified as an area of natural beauty, is one of the attractions of the district. The river boasts two picturesque waterfalls, Reykjafoss and Álafoss. More history

Kempenfelt Bay, Ontario, Canada

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20600628-IMG_0828_copyJanet Goldblatt Holmes and Robert Holmes enjoy the calm and peace found in Barrie.

The body of water which I chose for this project, is Kempenfelt Bay, part of Lake Simcoe, situated in Southern Ontario. This is where we have a cottage, which we use throughout the year. We are 2nd generation, and my daughter and son, 3rd. I have been coming here since I was a young child, and my children, like me, have done the same. Process:I placed a piece of an old bedding sheet into the water and watched the end fold, sinking, and continuing to fold in slow motion until settling on the rocks. Reaching to pick up the material, I realized the importance of the area; the steps leading into the shallow water on our rocky shoreline. While drying on our waterfront, more became clear. This was where I spent countless hours with my daughter and son, when they were young, and learning to swim. This is where, as they got older, they would tentatively enter the cool waters of Kempenfelt Bay in the early summer, until the lake warmed up and they would run off the end of the dock, squealing as they cannon-balled into the lake. We have spent hours, year after year sitting, cuddling, talking, arguing, crying and laughing. Family and friends gather to watch the water, and the sun’s glimmering light dancing on the surface, especially late afternoon into early evening. Kempenfelt Bay is where my heart and soul reside, even when I am away from the water’s edge. Water Is: Healing, clearing, cleansing, clean; Spring-fed mountain stream; soothing, renewing; stress slips away; Ache dissipates; Refreshing calming, centering blue green,; clear sounds; Lapping serene; Read sleep, drift off breathe; Water is life energy

Wos River, Ubud, Bali

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Valerie Baciek and Nate Shuttleworth journey to explore and document the work of local artisans in Ubud, Bali.

The Nyuhkuning village is a community of artisans and craft makers especially known for their paintings and woodcarvings. The Wos River is a special place for the community to gather. This is where they come to bath both body and spirit, wash clothing, gathering drinking water and rest the mind. I chose this river because of the link between the community and the artistic spirit. Ubud is known for it?s many artisans including fine woodcarvers, painters, silversmiths, furniture makers and it?s many textile creations. Everyone, and I mean every single person is truly an artist. There is a definite presence that co-exists between the Balinese people, their art and the Divine. The Divine is celebrated at every moment because the Balinese people understand the link between body and soul. Water is a very important element to this co-existence, as it is ever present. The rice fields depend on it, as does the forest. Water is used during important temple ceremonies to cleanse the spirit. And more importantly, many of the temples are located on or near water.

Lee, I believe that World Rivers is a very important project. I am so happy that the Balinese spirit can be apart of this. Terima kasih.

Missouri River, Nebraska, USA

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Artist Susan Knight and Deborah Murphy in Omaha, Nebraska.

A perfect Nebraska spring day – 70 degrees, blue skies partially obscured by light cloud cover. Susan Knight and I headed down to Dodge Park on the Missouri River, north of downtown Omaha to dip a piece of 100% cotton fabric, measuring 36″ x 18″, into the “Muddy Mo”. Nebraska and Iowa had experienced some horrific weather the previous week, which included tornados, hail, torrential rain and flash flooding. I knew the river was running fast and high after a visit to the park two weeks earlier, but didn’t know the dock area had been flooded. City crews were cleaning up the deluge of dried mud which was caked on the parking lot, sidewalks and river bank. Susan and I walked down to a dock that paralleled the river, we put the fabric into the Missouri. We watched it flow as we held it in the strong current . . . a current which didn’t allow the fabric to float flat. The force of moving water scrunched it to a piece measuring a few inches in width. The fabric did pick up the characteristic muddiness of the river, but no other stains were discernible to the eye. We were both surprised that we didn’t see more floating debris, as in the way of huge branches or trees, due to flooding upstream. No sand bars were visible – no wildlife sighted. — Deborah Murphy.