Guddling about: experiments in vital materialism with particular regard to water

Donald, M. (2014) Guddling about: experiments in vital materialism with particular regard to water. Goose: A Journal of Arts, Culture and the Environment in Canada, 13(1), Art 35.

Abstract

With reference to Jane Bennett’s notion of "vital materialism," this photo essay documents and reflects on Guddling About: a series of experiments or actions carried out by artists Nick Millar and Minty Donald with the Bow River and its watershed in Calgary and Southern Alberta in August-September 2013. Each experiment is described as a set of instructions — a script or score for an event — which can be enacted in any location where human settlement has evolved around a river. The experiments will be repeated, and new ones developed, with the River Clyde in Glasgow and Southern Scotland in June-September 2014. The photo essay comments on four of the actions undertaken in Canada, reflecting on questions they raised regarding human relationships with water and rivers in the context of Calgary and Alberta, and speculating on what other issues might arise from carrying out the actions in Glasgow and Southern Scotland.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Donald, Professor Minty
• Authors: Donald, M.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
• Journal Name: Goose: A Journal of Arts, Culture and the Environment in Canada
• Publisher: Association for Literature, Environment, and Culture in Canada
• ISSN: 2291-0948
• ISSN (Online): 2291-0948