Starting today I will be concentrating on images and ideas of rivers for the upcoming few weeks. It is the start of the international film festival ‘It’s All About the River’, which in this case is in the first place the river Tamar, dividing Devon and Cornwall. Or maybe rather flowing between, connecting Devon and Cornwall.

Living in Plymouth or visiting the town, you not necessarily immediately know about the Tamar. It is not flowing through the city but alongside it. The first water that you will encounter is more likely the sea, probably from the top of the Hoe. But when you make your way to the Royal William Yard you witness the majestic mouth of the river that can rise dangerously high but can also be soothingly calm. When I first arrived here, the first thing I did was visiting Devil’s Point from where you have a good view on Barn Pool under Mount Edgcumbe where Darwin’s Beagle lay anchored in 1831 before taking of for his journey around the world. For a complete account visit http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/darwininplymouth

For a more contemporary view you can cross the Tamar by means of the tiny Cremyll Ferry to reach Mount Edgcumbe in Cornwall or a bit further down with the busy Torpoint Ferry. Or you can of course use the famous Brunel Bridge that officially is called Royal Albert or Tamar Bridge, either by car or by train. From that height you have a beautiful view over the Tamar Valley. I was lucky enough to sail down the Tamar to Calstock a couple of years ago when someone thought I would make a good boats man. That was definitely not the case but it was surely a beautiful, impressive trip. And I thus look forward to another trip tonight when I get on the Riverboat Cinema to undergo Flow, announced as “a watery play of artists’ films on watery confluence” and one of the programmes curated by artist Lucy Reynolds for the festival which also includes talks and screenings.

 Kayla Parker and Stuart Moore, Reach 2014

 Uriel Orlow, The Mussels’ Perspective, 2014

What interests me about this festival is that it is not exclusively about the Tamar but also brings in connections to wider concerns and other rivers around the world. Any river can be seen from many standpoints whether they are historical, economical or environmental to name but a few. ‘It’s all about the river’ will thus also show the Yangtze and the Hudson. But it first all kicks of with some close reading. Closer than Kayla Parker’s and Stuart Moore’s installation ‘Reach’ it surely can’t get as they immersed their film into the riverbanks and let bacteria leave their marks. It is on view this weekend at Calstock Arts from 10-5pm. And Uriel Orlow in his installation ‘The Mussels’ Perspective’ will look at the effects of the Tamar Valley’s industrial heritage, more specifically the mining industry, on the river today. To be seen also this weekend in Calstock Hall, Saturday from 10-5pm and Sunday 10am-1pm. Full report later.

More info can be found on the festival’s website www.tamarproject.org.uk