When an object skims across the water, that action can be labeled "skipping," "jumping" or – if it's an especially graceful maneuver – "dancing." But can a boat ever really dance?
Gerry Trentham intends to prove that at least kayaks can on Oct. 2, at Buffalo's Inner Harbor.
Trentham, founder and artistic director of pounds per square inch performance, will create an array of "dancing" boats as a part of "Fluid Culture," a series of free public lectures, performances, media installations, and interactive events that will help connect Buffalo's residents to the city's waterways and to show how water connects Buffalo to the rest of the world.
The series – which runs from Sept. through April – is sponsored by UB's Humanities Institute.
"It was kind of a light bulb moment," said Colleen Culleton, director of undergraduate studies for the department of romance languages and literatures, in reference to the project's beginning. "Because of the geographic, historic, and economic significance of water to Buffalo, I knew this was the right place to have this conversation."
Trentham's display is only one aspect of the series. The program will welcome six well-known environmental scholars to lecture on water, culture, and the global community, while focusing on Buffalo's special relationship to the waters that surround the area.
A significant aspect of "Fluid Culture" is that the art exhibits will later be installed throughout Buffalo. In the spirit of community, the organizers thought it important to not just keep the event on the grounds of UB.
"It's not just about bringing scholars to the campus. It's about engaging University of Buffalo with the community," said Justin Read, director of graduate studies in the department of romance languages and literatures.
The conference was the result of joint efforts between Culleton and Read.
Culleton's research on water, when in Spain, prompted her to observe the global water crisis and then to reflect back on water's importance to the city of Buffalo.
Read's research into effects of urbanization in Latin American cities led him to consider how that transformation changes the sense of space and place within the environment. He has noticed the same changes in Buffalo as the city experiences revitalization efforts. However, Read points out a major difference: Buffalo residents don't feel as connected to the water as one might expect.
"It's important to our pride in the city, to how we move in the city, what activities we choose," Read said. "Water isn't just an element, it's part and parcel of the cultural and political process."
Various art exhibits will be available to the greater Buffalo population as they move around the city. One such exhibit is "Future Public Technologies: WATERBAR" an interactive exhibit by Marc Böhlen, associate professor in the department of media study, which will be on display where city residents pay their water bill – at the Ellicott Square Building. The exhibit will feature a series of water tanks, each containing a different stone, meant to symbolize a specific ideal.
For example, one of the tanks contains a rock from Assisi, Italy, and it represents peace. (Assisi was the birthplace of St. Francis, to whom a famous peace prayer has been attributed.)
When a viewer requests a glass of water from WATERBAR, a computer hooked up to the piece will use an algorithm to scan newspaper headlines from around the globe to determine what the world needs most at that moment. If there were multiple headlines referring to war and violence, then water from the Assisi tank would be dispensed.
Böhlen's work will be on display from Oct. 10-14 in the building's main atrium. Various elements of the exhibit will continue throughout April, with the last lecture being presented on the 19th.
"Spring will be all about moving around," Culleton said, describing some of the more interactive portions of "Fluid Culture."
There will be a "sound garden" slated to coincide with the spring thaw, which will allow participants to "capture" different sounds from various locations in Buffalo by using their smart phones as well as an opportunity for individuals to take photos of different water-themed sites and upload them to the "Fluid Culture" website. Culleton anticipates that many of the photos will be published in a book she and Read are working on that is based on the "Fluid Culture" series.
A series like this is a time-consuming endeavor, but Culleton hopes that the impact of UB students will be huge as well.
"I hope there's a legacy of continued connection between UB and the community," Culleton said.
She hopes that other UB organizations will pick up where "Fluid Culture" leaves off and continue to work with local organizations, such as Erie County Harbor Development Corporation and Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER, to continually build a better appreciation for the waters that surround not only Buffalo, but the globe.
"Water that's been flowing for hundreds of years, water that's originated at a source thousands of miles away, it ends up in your glass," Read said. "But no one really stops to think about that."
"Fluid Culture" aims to get people thinking about that very thing: that water is everywhere, that it shapes people and cities and that it is also a precious resource that needs to be conserved.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
