River Relations is an interdisciplinary artistic research project undertaken as a reflection of the damming and development of the Columbia River in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, and the upcoming renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty. Five artists, two writers, and a geographer began by investigating and comparing historical and contemporary imagery and documentation of the river. Exploring the ideas and story line that emerged, the project contributes to ongoing dialogue around the river through visual art, writing, and public engagement. Through the creative process, the team synthesized personal experiences along the river with material found through research. The exhibition acknowledges the benefits of hydroelectric development while questioning the cultural and ecological costs of basin-wide industrial development. The resulting artwork uses real-world information that resonates metaphorically and allegorically, creating a space for the imagination and contemplation of human/nature relationships
In response to the devastating flooding of the Kettle River in 2018, Leta Heiberg has created a multi-medium series of drawings based around aerial footage taken during and immediately after the floods. The works depicts water flowing from mountain snow pack at an impressive speed - gaining volume and speed as it inundated areas previously considered high ground.
Water is its own entity in the work, multi-coloured and dynamic, contrasting surrounding landscapes in shades of black and white. Cheerful rainbow hues reveal as range of contamination washed in the watershed. As colour drains from the landscape, the shift in power becomes clear - control of the environment is impossible in an increasingly erratic world. Flood (re) view is a call to action to process what has happened on a deeper level and re-examine our relationship with a landscape that, while familiar, can become bewilderingly hostile in an instant.
Post Diluvian is a partnership between Gallery 2 and the Boundary Flood Recovery (BFR) team. During the Boundary Showcase, we invite the community to share experiences and reflections on the flood, adding a layer of community -aggregated content to flood data and documentation. The culture form a larger narrative along with collected watershed information, satellite images, and flood documentation in an interactive map.
Throughout the summer season, visitors to Gallery 2 will be able to navigate the map, scrolling through the narrative focusing on different points depending on personal preference - seeing both the bigger picture and zooming in on the hyper-local.
See the visualization