In the 1950s, the Rhône River was declared dead. With the development of hydropower, the river changed drastically in post-war France. New canals took over, dikes were built against flooding, and the river was slowly dammed. In addition, due to its fast flow and cool temperature, the Rhône provided the ideal place for the development of several nuclear power plants and the chemical industry. The river became a hydraulic object, the boundaries between nature and technology slowly blurred.
Once a symbol of uncontrollable force, the river had been conquered – but how would the river describe itself? Inspired by Bruno Latour’s Parliament of Things, in which he argues that law and politics should not only be centred around people, but around all forms of life, I examine the river from an animistic point of view. I try to imagine what it’s like to be a fast-flowing river, slowly filling with artefacts of the Anthropocene over a 600-kilometre stretch. How do you capture a landscape that is steeped in chemical waste and is slowly disappearing due to climate change? The project comprises a video work, as well as a series of ceramics made from the Rhône’s clay.
