“Burden of the River” – Exhibition Reflecting Environmental Concerns of the Vere River
With support from the USAID Civil Society Engagement Program, art group Collective Failure held the exhibition “The Burden of the River” on November 16-19 to reflect environmental concerns around the Vere River. Through various art mediums, including installations, multimedia, paintings, and mosaics, the exhibit depicted the destructive impact of human intervention on the landscape, as well as an alternative reality where the Vere valley serves as a sanctuary for humans and nature to harmoniously coexist.
The Vere River begins at Mount Didgori and flows for more than 40 kilometers. Before joining the Mtkvari River, it crosses three districts in Tbilisi, although residents are not able to see it due its enclosure in tunnels. With this exhibition, Collective Failure hoped to let locals “see” the river, think about its recreational potential, and recognize the environmental problems around the river that increase the risk of floods and mudflows.
Collective Failure has also prepared a documentary on these problems, which was shown at the opening of the exhibition and will be available online soon. As part of its project activities, the art group created artwork using river waste and installed it in the valley and on adjacent streets as a reminder of the importance of preserving the river. An art tour was also held in the valley, which offered participants the opportunity to explore the river through audio-visual presentations.
