‘You Cannot Step in the Same River Twice’ charts her return to a decade-old project entitled ‘Where are the wild ones?’.
This was an audio-visual opera developed in collaboration with Berlin based sound artist and composer Kaffe Mathews and explored the migration of wild salmon along the River Tyne. Harrington and Matthews worked with children from three schools near the banks of the River Tyne and scientists from the Environment Agency North East to weave together stories, music and scientific data.
Harrington’s book reflects on the significant changes seen within the river, arts and environmental policy in a ten-year period against a backdrop of overlapping human, animal and geological time scales.
The book launch will include a roundtable discussion with Laura Harrington, Laura Purseglove and Professor Stephen Rice. Laura Purseglove was previously Producer of the Radar programme and commissioned Harrington’s project. She is currently a producer at Science Gallery, London. Professor Stephen Rice, a collaborator on the project, is Professor of River Science, Geography and Environment at Loughborough University.
People attending the launch will receive a free copy of the publication, and refreshments including warm drinks will be served. The event is free to attend but places must be booked in advance.
This event marks the conclusion of the 2022/23 Ecological Thinking programme, a series of artist commissions and events exploring what creative and collaborative methodologies can bring to ecological study.