Entry 1
October 29th, 2024
Avery Slote
Hello everyone, my name is Avery Slote and I am the team lead for “The Flow Within” – a project dedicated to the Lights On Stratford festival. I wanted to share the context behind the inspiration for this installation and the goal of what our team will be creating, providing a reference for how this project began and how it will evolve with the efforts of our team.
As someone who had lived in Stratford and was in awe at the art showcased each year, if you had told me that I would have the opportunity to create an installation for this festival I would not have believed you. Becoming a team lead was a role I hadn’t expected and initially, I was worried at the pressure to create something of merit like the installations I had admired in the past. Now, as I work with my team and settle into my role, I am excited to see how this installation will progress!
In formulating the concept for The Flow Within, it was important to me that it centred around The Avon River. As a resident, my favourite activity was visiting the river that drew me in to watch the ecosystem at work. I am fascinated with idea that rivers are the hearts of cities, it’s health impacting the land it spreads through and the elements that live within it. In the way that veins transport one’s life-force throughout their body, the river transports the energy of the city. When learning of this project, I knew this was my opportunity to visually represent that connection.
The elements of the river I chose to focus on was influenced by my love of the environment. Years ago, I had taken a class that discussed the influence of climate change on the fish population, erosion/sediments introducing chemical run-off into river systems, and the overarching concern of water-levels. These discussions stayed with me and I was determined to develop an idea for the pitch deck that incorporated them, hopefully sparking others to hold similar revelations about the state of the climate I had from that class.
With the concept chosen, all that is left is to see it through! Moving forward with our team, each role and each individual will bring a unique perspective on these elements of the river, what it means to them, and how we can communicate it. If you are interested in the delegation of our work for this installation, visit the blog by Jack Griffiths, our project manager who I will be working closely with for The Flow Within. I trust my team and I am excited to see how this project will evolve with everyone’s talents and new perspectives working together. I hope to see this idea grow into an installation that speaks to our team and speaks to the community of Stratford.
The outcome of this interaction installation will be a visualizer of abstract imagery representing The Avon Rivers’ energy over time: its fluidity in movement, its health, and its creatures, providing opportunity for participants to add energy to this ecosystem. Although The Flow Within is in its infancy, this first week of development and the efforts of our team make me confident this outcome is within our reach. Stay tuned for future blogs and posts providing updates on how this visualizer evolves!
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