follow y/our river : a manual for deep mapping in the Lower Lea Valley

“Follow y/our river” is a research project that explores the relationship between people and watery landscapes.

As part of our photography group’s teaching, Tamara and I partnered with the river Lea and the lower Lea Valley as our classroom site for a transdisciplinary approach to landscape photography and to invite our students to discover our river or their own river.

Our aim was to focus on the liminal edges of the river as spaces where urban and rural, human and non-human mix in a productive state of entanglement. To conduct fieldwork along the river using various approaches, such as photographic, geographical, ecological, and experiential methods, to develop a narrative about the Lea Valley.

On the wall of the msdm studio is an index card with a quote from Joseph Campbell that states, ‘Follow your bliss.’ This quote is the inspiration for the title ‘follow y/our river.’ It reminds us of the importance of pursuing what we are passionate about and being purposeful to our community. Campbell’s ideas are relevant to anyone on the path of transformation and self-development, and this project invited our students to  consider the life-shifting implications of following their bliss. By connecting to one’s river, we can recognise that it has been waiting for us all along, and this is the river of our bliss.

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