Take Me to the River is a creative discursive public exhibition exploring the preservation and shared custodianship of our waterways, immersing visitors in the life of our rivers through a collaborative curation of visual and sensory responses to our local waterways in Meath.

 

The River Boyne appears both in myth and legend, from the Goddess Boann, to the legendary hero and leader of the Fianna, Fionn Mac Cumhaill. In 1859, antiquarian William Wilde published “The Beauties of the Boyne and Blackwater”, a remarkable travel book documenting sites of historical and archaeological significance along the Boyne and its tributary the Blackwater. He remarks, “inhabitants of Navan, like those of most Irish towns through which a river runs, have turned their backs upon the stream, scarcely a glimpse of which can be obtained”. Poignantly, attendees at a vibrant citizen assembly at Solstice Arts Centre also used the phrase “turning our back” on our rivers some 165 years later.

Meath has abundant natural water resources in its rivers, lakes, and groundwater that hold an inherent and indisputable value. Clean, abundant, and well-protected water is important for the continuing success of Meath’s society. Our water resources are facing challenges on several fronts including an ever-increased demand to agricultural activity, increased urbanisation, growing population numbers, and economic growth, all set against a backdrop of widespread and intensifying climate change. To meet these challenges there must be a sincere collective effort, as well as time and space given over to collaborative action.

Over the course of a year, Solstice Arts Centre and Swift Cultural Centre, in collaboration with architectural practice Cineál: Research + Design, presented a series of public engagements to encourage active public participation and awareness of our local waterways. Artists, the public, and environmental specialists journeyed beside, within, and above the River Nanny and River Boyne, exploring biodiversity, water quality, and climate change in addition to our cultural, holistic, and economic connection to our rivers. Take Me to the River intertwines intimate public responses with communal ecological activism and participation, and in turn, and return of our gaze to our natural surroundings.

 

This exhibition is supported by Creative Ireland, the Arts Council, Meath County Council, Local Authority Waters Programme, Inland Fisheries Ireland, and Birdwatch Ireland Meath.