
What Rivers Know
Listening to the Voices of Global Waterways
Basia Irland(Author)
Texas A & M University Press
Published on 31. December 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-64843-256-9 (ISBN)
Description
What if rivers could talk and tell their stories? What would they tell us? In What Rivers Know, artist Basia Irland insinuates herself as the voice of major waterways as they struggle to navigate their changing relationships with humans and climate change. By hearing what the rivers have to say, Irland asserts, we can attune ourselves to the "braided fusion of energies" in our natural world, better preparing us to meet the challenges posed by climate change and human interactions with the environment. Through these "first-person accounts," readers learn the rivers' histories, current environmental health status, and evolving relationships with humanity. In addition, Irland discusses innovative practices for addressing pollution, recycling wastewater, and what steps-if any-are being taken to remedy their ailments.
What Rivers Know presents us with 25 intimate portraits of rivers from around the world, such as the Seine (France), the Yaqui (Mexico), the Colorado (US), the Singapore (Malaysia), and the Chaobai (China). These accounts are accentuated with an introduction by noted land artist and feminist Lucy Lippard and a foreword by Sandra Postel, recipient of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, the "Nobel Prize" for water.
Irland's unique writing style tells a nature story unlike any before, delivering within the writing the experience of being a river.
What Rivers Know presents us with 25 intimate portraits of rivers from around the world, such as the Seine (France), the Yaqui (Mexico), the Colorado (US), the Singapore (Malaysia), and the Chaobai (China). These accounts are accentuated with an introduction by noted land artist and feminist Lucy Lippard and a foreword by Sandra Postel, recipient of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, the "Nobel Prize" for water.
Irland's unique writing style tells a nature story unlike any before, delivering within the writing the experience of being a river.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
College Station
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
199 color photos. 1 map.
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 227 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
780 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64843-256-9 (9781648432569)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
The work of author and artist Basia Irland focuses on international water issues, especially rivers, waterborne diseases, and water scarcity. She collaborates with scholars from diverse disciplines on projects including rainwater harvesting systems, documentary filmmaking, and international implementation of waterborne disease projects. Founder of the arts and ecology program at the University of New Mexico, she is professor emerita in the department of art and art history.