The FIRE lab team and an ensemble of artists/poets/scientists both within and beyond the academy have a new article published in the peer-reviewed journal, Cultural Geographies. The article contributes to work in creative geographies and is focused on river spaces and a multimodal practice (meaning that we used visual, aural, and linguistic forms of communication) among the ensemble. The collaboration created two collage series with both planned and unplanned visual, textual, and audio-visual media. The article charts the creative procss and shares learnings from the ensemble’s online/remote collaboration, including: the methodological possibilities of online collaboration and the Internet’s ability to facilitate distanced and sustained co-creation. The article also discussed the possibilities of collage and poetry to reimagine relationships with rivers. Below is a collage and poem both titled, Our Story, which were shared in the article. The collage and poem were created through the collaboration in response to earlier prompts to write about rivers and underwater environments as well as to challenges and opportunities that arose through the peer-review process that inspired further creativity and making. A complete audio-visual production of Our Story is shared below the collage and poem.
Please share any ideas or thoughts that surface for you when viewing the collage, poem, audio-visual production, or artice.
Our Story
Rich in philosophy
of deep land, sea,
do you know I’m here?
I fly, swim, dive,
from the safety of my perch.
Gravel-origin energies entwined.
Shimmer. Shammy. Soar.
I spread my wings
as your eyes leak salt,
my tentacles weave
night to day, sea to sky.
I dance on water, blue
mythical creature, puddled
cold and bleak, I will guide you.
Truth is lost. Life is found.
Splash! Now fly!
FIRE LAB 