GATHERINGS

"Irland takes the journey herself, swimming upstream against the currents of a society not yet convinced that our comforts are worth sacrificing for our resources. A Gathering of Waters is a major model for eco-art. This relatively new kind of art is often invisible within the landscape. But its powerful ripple effects can make waves within the various societies through which it passes."
- Lucy Lippard; art critic and author

A green future cannot be mapped without healthy watersheds. The cartography of the next generations must include communities working together to insure clean, viable river systems. The Gathering of Waters projects establish working relationships between people, and connect diverse cultures along the entire length of rivers emphasizing that we all live downstream. It is imperative to work together to face upcoming challenges. In the increasingly arid Southwest where Irland lives, hydrologic studies have shown that climate change will produce earlier snowmelt and lower stream flows in the Rio Grande, resulting in the drop of ground water levels.

The sculptures accompanying these projects include Backpack/Repositories, which contain canteens, logbooks, maps, video documentaries, and photographs. Gatherings have occurred along: the Don River, Ontario, Canada; the River Dart, Devon, England; the Nisqually River, Washington State; Boulder Creek, Colorado; and the 1,875 mile-length of the Rio Grande, which begins in the San Juan Mountains of Southern Colorado, flows through New Mexico, becomes the border between Texas and Mexico, and then enters the Gulf of Mexico at Boca Chica.

A Gathering of Waters; Rio Grande, Source to Sea took five years to complete. Hundreds of participants were invited to put a small amount of river water into a canteen, write in a logbook, and pass these downstream to another person. Connections were made that have been lasting, and groups are working together that never would have met otherwise. In order to participate in this project, you had to physically be at the river and interact with someone else downstream, thereby forming a kind of human river that brings awareness to the plight of this stream that is always asked to give more than it has. In the video documentary about this project, Irland's son, Derek, stands in the middle of the Rio and says; "Ask not what this river can do for you, but what you can do for this river."

See Prior Projects page for detailed description of Rio Grande, Source to Sea.

See extensive writings on the Gatherings in Chapter Four "Source to Sea (and Back Again)" in Irland's book, Water Library. Buy the book.

Backpack/Repositories are available for purchase. Please Contact

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