2021, 'Waterline' - Proposal for art festivals along waterlines.

The world as we know it today was formed on the banks of rivers and seas: life 'came ashore'.
Great cultures have arisen there.
But, climate is changing. Sea levels are rising, rainfall is intensifying and glaciers are melting.
This increases the risk of flooding and damages to our cultures. We have become aware of the power of water again.

That is why we need to find new ways to live together with the waters.
We will have to listen to the rivers and seas again. They will largely determine how we can live our lives in future.

On the boundary between water and land, it will become clear to what extent we can continue to determine the course
of water in the future or whether water and nature will once again determine the course of our future lifes.
Our relationship with nature needs rethinking!





'Waterline' - Proposal for an art festivals along riverbanks and sea shores.

"Waterline" is an initiative to promote art festivals along the waterlines of rivers and seas to increase the awareness of the
growing need to be part of nature again.

Plans have been made in the Netherlands for:
- the riverbanks in the city of Rotterdam,
- the river Schie between the Hague and Rotterdam,
- in Scheveningen
- and along the coast of St. Louis, Senegal.


An art festival in Rotterdam.

Every year, during the "World Port Days" the port of Rotterdam celebrates the economic and technical value
of its harbors for the Netherlands and Europe.
However the cultural and ecological value of the river is only a very limited part of the festoval program.
The urgence of the ecological changes requires more attention to how the water influences our lives and culture.







An art festival along the river Schie between the Hague and Rotterdam.

The rivers Schie and Vliet, near the Hague, Delft and Rotterdam have a great historical and cultural value
for the Netherlands. It was for centuries the central waterway for the region of Holland.
The artificial waterlevel of the current river is in one way an example of the great Dutch marine skills
in managing it's waters. On the opposite side it showsthe great risks related to rising water levels.

 
 

 
 
           



An art festival in Scheveningen.

Important social and cultural values are in most cultures celebrated through the gathering of crowds
while performing ceremonial acts.
In Scheveningen (NL) the turn of the year was celebrated by crowds visiting huge bonfires.
The bonfire distaster during the 2018-2019 turn of the year requires rethinking the cultural value of the yearly ceremony.
Art will need to find new expressions for this old festival.












An art festival in St. Louis, Senegal.

Mame Gumba Bang is the godess of the river. Omni present plastics polute the river and desecrate the river.
Art needs to redefine the cultural relationship between the river and the people.