Reimagining Waters from Source to Land: The Living Archive of the Orontes River

Reimagining Waters from Source to Land is an audio-visual installation exploring water, borders, and collection practices in Syria, Lebanon, and Türkiye along the Orontes River. Central to the installation is a Syrian silk canvas manufactured in collaboration with Antoun Mezannar, a pioneer in silk-making and brocade. The canvas subtly moves, mirroring the natural undulations of the landscape and symbolising the fluidity and disruption of the region’s water systems.
Alongside this, recorded voices of local community members narrate struggles around water collection, offering deeply personal insights into the challenges shaped by conflict and environmental pressures. Two smaller silk sheets display archival imagery, while urban formations are mapped on the floor, paired with an evocative soundscape, to exemplify water access amidst conflict and struggle.