A line branching out into maps, a name, a source and a mouth—or a metaphor, an image, a kindred spirit, a neighbor—what is a river, really? Where do we draw its boundaries, and the boundaries between us and the river?

Rivers are alive—they are born, transform, and die out, though according to different measures than those we are accustomed to. Their metabolism, however, also undergoes changes on the scale of our human lives. What kind of life story does the Vltava River have? How does it enter the lives of its human neighbors? How can we listen to it? And what are the political implications of conversing with the river?

This two-hour workshop will focus on collectively exploring these questions through drawing, conversation, and imagination on the banks of the Vltava.

Anna Mírková draws on the contexts of social work, artivism, and environmental anthropology. She explores themes of the right to the city and non-human shaping of the landscape. She explores the relationships between cats and people in Prague’s cemeteries and flood recovery efforts in the Jeseník region, where she observes how water flows through the local landscape and the institutions that seek to control it.

Venue: Holešovice Market, Tržní náměstí