Sun Rui uses the steps to reach the bank of the Han River, also called the Hunhe River (Hànshuǐ, 汉水.)
Kashinka River, Kashin, Russia
Artist Gennady Troshkov with photography by Mel Theobald and Robert Weitz.
Kashin, located about 180 kilometers north of Moscow, is one of the oldest cities in Russia. Never has the word “heart of the city” had
more meaning because the center of Kashin is uniquely heart-shaped as a result of the oxbow formed by the Kashinka River which defines its contour. The river is a visual wonder because of its vegetative density of grasses, reeds, algae, lillypads and sloping embankments. The length of the Kashinka is 128 Kilometers feeding into the Volga River near the Uglich Reservoir. In 1319 this principality of the Rostov family was traded to the principality of Tver. Kashin was gifted to various family members and traded numerous times until 1591when Tsar Feodor Ivanovich appointed a governor from the Moscow State to control it. One popular legend suggests that Kashin was prohibited from engaging in warfare by a woman on the Rostov family who was one of the first Russian women to be sainted. Whether true or not, there is a serenity to this town which is intricately embraced by the winding flow of this gentle and beautiful river.
World Rivers Note: On August 17, 2006, using a locally produced remnant of lace purchased in the Kashin market, Gennady Troshkov walked across a bridge and down the embankment of the Kashinka River to a favorite fishing spot. On a small patch of gravel he was enveloped by the vegetation and luscious green landscape. Voluptuous white clouds filling the sky were reflected in the mirror surfaced water. In a great unification, Troshkov, a graceful and gentile artist, began a series of movements in which the fabric was integrated with the water and the landscape. In the distance the dome of an Orthodox church was inverted on the opposite shoreline. It was a perfect day in a perfect place.
The Mississippi River, Minnesota, USA
Three generations, Carol Weber Rohde, Brooke Dierkising and Magdalena Holtz visit the Mississippi River. The site is the Blandin Paper Company which is owned by UPM Kymmene, based in Finland.
Things just stood still
we shared this moment
Connecting community
with this art project,
all rivers and the natural world
Grandmother, mother, daughter
like the river
we carry, cleanse, provide
a journey
The Mackenzie River, Inuvik, Canada
Artist Paul Fortin soaks the Canadian fabric in the Mackenzie River in northern Canada. The fabric has reached all four corners of Canada -The Ottawa, Lahave, Fraser and Mackenzie Rivers.
I have recently returned from the Banff residency and am slowly starting to move forward creativly now that I am home. The fabric arrived safely and I have started to work my way through different ideas. The river is currently an ice road to Tuktoyuktuk and the weather has been cold and rather grey. I will keep you posted on events surrounding the river, fabric and creative happenings. The river is the east channel of the Mackenzie River. Inuvik is situated right on the eastern edge of the Mackenzie delta. The river splits into three main channels West, Main and East but it is really all the same river. The delta itself is made up of hundreds of thousands of smaller channels, lakes, ponds, rivers, oxbo lakes and muskeg as the rivers fan out and make their way to the icy Beaufort Sea. It is quite impressive rom the air. It is currently -24F here andthe river is frozen and ploughed into a road that winds its way to the community of Tuktoyuktuk. The wind is blowing quite strong making it feel much colder. The big river is a muddy one and the fabric is not so white anymore. It should be a nice addition to the project. The Mackenzie finally broke a week after I returned so I was finally able to get the fabric in the river.
