Alec Moore

Threads of a River engages with the Avoca River in County Wicklow, the most polluted river in Ireland. The pollution stems from abandoned copper and pyrite mines, where the oxidation of pyrite minerals releases sulphuric acid into the groundwater, leaching heavy metals from the surrounding stone, which are then carried downstream. The high acidity and contamination makes the water lethal for aquatic life, and has had a lasting impact on what would otherwise be a thriving ecosystem.

While making this work, there was a desire for the river to participate in its own representation. Light sensitive paper was submerged directly in the river, the waters flow imprinting on the surface. Film negatives were steeped in water collected from the mines, the contamination degrading and altering the images. The rivers current was recorded and transferred to magnetic tape, its voice carried into the exhibition space alongside a projected image. The river does not just appear in the work, it passes through it, and in doing so, authors something of itself.