The River Project

"Time is an enormous, long river and I am standing in it - just as you are standing in it..." - Utah Phillips

The River Project harnesses the personal narratives of friends and strangers, creating a river of words. It is inspired by folk singer and storyteller Utah Phillips, the Quaker tradition of active listening, and my experience of the healing and validating effect of being heard or witnessed. I have collected the recorded stories from people in various cities in the United States. Within the structure of an installation that reflects a river's bed, the speakers' words flow away from the tributaries of their origin. The resulting current mirrors nature, as stories, like a river, diverge and merge.

This piece has been exhibited in Seattle at the Tashiro Kaplan Building in the Art Patch Gallery and at Consolidated Works Gallery. My intention has been to foster the growth of the ongoing project, incorporating additional stories even as the stones increase in number.

The materials used to realize this piece are hand blown and sandblasted glass, LED lights, custom electronics, sonar sensors, personal narratives, velvet, foam and a computer.

The process of this piece has given me the opportunity to bear witness to many lives, and grow to look at people I don't know at all in a more reverent, respectful light.

The River Project has been made possible in part from funds granted by Art Patch and Consolidated Works, as well as the in-kind donations from Brian Karr, Ben Dombey, and Wavefront Semiconductor.

Please click here to listen to a story.

Photos by Tania Westby