To The River

To The River was a public art commission and artist's residency to celebrate the story of the River Cam in Cambridge. Community events formed part of the project and included FLOW - a human chain of hands transporting water from one end of the river to the other by boat, paddleboard, swimmer, runner, walker, narrowboat, punt and more. Knit for the River - an attempt to create 1000 squares of knitting that embellished coir rolls supporting the ground near the river. After Raverat - which takes the work of artist Gwen Raverat (1885-1957) as a starting point from which to develop a contemporary set of works using the same locations chosen by Raverat for her paintings and prints. After Raverat is kindly being supported by Anglia Ruskin University.

A combination of factors has impacted the project since it was commissioned in June 2018. These include the two-year delay of the overall project timeline, for reasons including the increasing costs of materials and resources requiring further provisional funding to be approved, the suspension of council processes during a number of local elections, and the impact of lockdowns halting the momentum of community engagement in the project.

After much careful thought and reflection and in conjunction with Cambridge City Council, it was announced on Monday 7th November 2022 that the Selvedge sculpture, proposed as a permanent outcome of the project will not go ahead. The press release from Caroline Wright and Cambridge City Council can be read here. The project website with more information can be found here.