River Pulse series

Equinox Trembling 2hrs Sept 21 2023 Loddon River, 2023, ink on paper, 56 x 76 cm

This project offers a voice to a river, to make a statement in the cultural realm of art. As the wet weather of the recent Triple La Niña climatic oscillation gives way to the oncoming El Niño dry climate event, River Monitor documents this transition on a stretch of the Upper Loddon River. 

It is Cameron Robbins' hope that some sense of genius loci, spirit of place, and the feeling of the river comes through this body of work. 

Following the momentous decision taken in New Zealand to endow legal entity status to the Whanganui River, many other countries have adopted similar protections for their own rivers. At its beautiful, pulsing and clear state in Glenlyon, the Loddon River most definitely shows us that it has an environmental role, a personality and a lot of character which also deserves recognition.

In an active flowing stretch of the upper Loddon, the River Monitor drawing instrument is tethered to some strong Dwarf River Callistemon (Callistemon Sieberi), logs or rocks. It floats on a camouflaged inflatable SUP (stand-up paddle board) so that the water turbines are always kept at a constant depth. To document changes in the river depth, the whole instrument is placed on a stand and as the river level drops, the turbines receive less water and eventually stop. 

Drawings are set up and allowed to accumulate marks for varying lengths of time. Water from river splashes, mists and rains are allowed to play on the inks and pigments.

Some of the watercolour paper was coloured in the studio using inks and pigments also, to give high contrast to the metallic silver, gold, white and coloured inks of the pens.

Two waterwheels turn in response to the river flow. Hand-made in the Castlemaine studio - from recycled aluminium, adapted high-performance bicycle rims, brass fittings, stainless steel shafts and bearings.  Through a series of linkages, right angle drives, swivels and stainless rods and wires, the kinetic energy is transferred to two pens cooperating and arguing to make marks on watercolour paper.

The drawing board itself is on a double swivel arrangement, with a long aluminium rudder making the paper oscillate in response to each eddy and current.

These motions are designed to give maximum freedom to the instrument to make drawings from the dynamic inputs of the river energy.

This is Robbins’ way of visualising the course of this river entity across the landscape and across the night sky.

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