The latest installment of our project is currently on display at the Richmond Art Gallery. The centrepiece of the show is large-scale hanging mobile of boats, but unlike the previous show at the UBC Museum of Anthropology, the boats at RAG are made of paper. They were made at various workshops held in Richmond this summer as well as through the last minute efforts of Gu’s friends. As Gu recalls, he folded many boats as a child and floated down the river bearing his dreams for exploring the world. In a similar way, each boat at the RAG represents a distinct person, with distinct stories and dreams. “Waterscapes” is much more of a community effort and also a reflection of Richmond as a crossroads of migrants and cultures.
The images on display are, again, taken from both Rivers in our project. But the RAG also includes four video interviews, including one with Gu and his wife Jenny, of people whose lives have intersected in some way with these two rivers. Finally, the RAG has also included a space for visitors to fold their own boats.
The boats start in the lobby and take us....
...into the gallery (the photos on the wall are all taken along the Fraser)
...around the bend (the photos on the wall are taken along the Yangtze and the painting was displayed in Becoming Rivers at MOA)
....around the bend....
...into the swirl of the gallery atrium....
....and out into the city.
Four interviews give a human face to the place of rivers in our lives.
....and guests are invited to join in.
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