R I V ER DOCS

The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film and York County’s Culture & Heritage Museums have partnered together to present a comprehensive narrative, a year-long documentation project inspired by the Catawba River. This exhibition will feature fine art photography and fabric installation, interactive digital media and countless community interviews and submissions.

RIVER DOCS: A Catawba River Narrative is curated by June Lambla, featuring artists Raymond Grubb, Nancy Pierce, Byron Baldwin, Mike Wirth, Marek Ranis and Maja Godlewska.

Currently opening at the York County Culture & Heritage Museum
March 29, 2008 through January 4, 2009

Opening Reception and Program
March 28, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Museum of York County

Join us for an exclusive preview event for CHM Members and special guests to view the exhibition, meet the curator and artists, participate in lively dialogue, and enjoy drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
RSVP to 803.329.2121 by March 21st.

Click Here to visit the RIVER DOCS website >>

The RIVER DOCS exhibit is designed to illuminate the connection of people to the Catawba River; document the changes that have happened and are happening to the River; address the challenge of access to the river; and reenergize activity on and commitment to the river and surrounding land from its headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Lake Wateree near Columbia. After the exhibit’s run at The Light Factory, it will travel to the York County Culture & Heritage Museums in South Carolina.

Many interviews, hundreds of photographs and other documentation have been collected from the community to include in a digital media installation in the exhibit. The information and the database created for RIVER DOCS have centralized and organized the community’s contributions to the project thus far and will continue past the life of the exhibit, for future generations.

The Light Factory has solicited the public to volunteer their photographs, stories and memorabilia of the Catawba River for integration into a video installation that will enable River Docs attendees to interact with the information. One of the Culture & Heritage Museums’ roles will be to help collect and manage that information, taking a primary role in continuing the documentary database beyond the exhibit’s end. They will also play an integral part in arranging lectures and other community outreach.

“The involvement of Culture & Heritage Museums will take this project to a whole new level,” said Marcie Kelso, Executive Director of The Light Factory. “It will enable us to focus on the artistry and the interactive components of the exhibit while they create a resource for generations to come to know, understand and fully appreciate the Catawba River.”

RIVER DOCS is a multi-media exhibition that integrates sound and touch with photography.

• Three photographers have documented various locations on the river throughout four seasons offering their own point-of-view of the subject. Raymond Grubb captured the northern part of the River; Byron Baldwin documented the middle sections of the River; Nancy Pierce photographed the southern-most parts reaching into South Carolina.

• Marek Ranis and Maja Godlewska have created a visual representation of the river to give the viewer a sense of place and location. Their interpretation of the River is depicted on large fabric panels that hang throughout the Knight Gallery.

• Images and material donated by the community have been integrated into a digital media installation conceived of and built by artist Mike Wirth. Using a touch-screen interface, exhibit-goers can select the geographic regions of the River they wish to explore, manipulating and moving images associated with that area. This interactive exhibit also incorporates sounds and stories gathered through the RIVER DOCS community collection process.

Participant's Biographies

The Light Factory received the 2006 McColl Award and a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council for RIVER DOCS. Community collaborators for the project include the Catawba Lands Conservancy, the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation and the U.S. National Whitewater Center.

To purchase the River Docs catalogue, please call The Light Factory at 704-333-9755

Grants and Award Details

York County’s Culture and Heritage Museums

York County’s Culture & Heritage Museums is a linked system of cultural organizations that include Historic Brattonsville, McCelvey Center, the Museum of York County and the future Stans Museum of Life and the Environment. Its mission is to create an enlightened and engaged citizenry by keeping, communicating and connecting our cultural, historical and natural heritage in ways that promote deeper understanding of people and place.

Special Parking Notice: Special Parking Notice: Special arrangements have been made with the TransAmerica building parking garage (located on Seventh Street between N. Tryon and N. Church) for patrons planning to attend The Light Factory. Parking is guaranteed and is $5. Be sure to tell them you are parking for The Light Factory.

Click on photo for additional exhibit hotographs of RIVER DOCS by Mitchell Kearney

 

This project was made possible, in part, through a McColl award from the Arts & Science Council.