Telematic Rivers

Erica Kermani, Diana Salcedo, Jeana Chesnik

Occupying a seat at the table: the first iteration presented a live transmission of Seine River (Paris) and East River (NYC).

Occupying a seat at the table: the first iteration presented a live transmission of Seine River (Paris) and East River (NYC).

How does a body of water embody the body politics?  We explore how non-humans can participate in agreement processes to decide their fate.  Telematic Rivers is an installation and performance that provides a technological interface through which rivers voice their concerns. In a conference setting, an assembly of multiple parties are represented by the real-time streaming videos of varying international rivers and by seats for humans.  Similar to the legal status granted to New Zealand’s Whanganui River, we remove the notion that Nature is a human resource, rather a living entity with rights and protections. At Occupy Earth, Vantaanjoki in Helsinki and New York City’s East and Hudson Rivers will be transmitted into the meeting.  This experience intends to ask the viewer, if non-humans had a voice equal to humans, would discussions around climate change be approached differently than they are today?