The Memory of Water

Rivers have a strong influence on our lives – often without us even noticing. But how can one make the special relationship between people and »their« river visible? The Indian artist Pallavi Paul answers this question with four poetic narrative threads, similar to the different arms of the Pader River that eventually merge. She combines documentary footage and local stories with her own images and sounds, creating complex spaces of memory and desire.

The locations of the four installations add another layer of meaning to the work. At the city museum, the local dipper bird is the main character: a bird that effortlessly glides above and below the water, symbolising balance and change between river and land. At the Westfalen-Kolleg, which is located directly at the Pader, Paul tells the story of the Yamuna River in her home town of New Delhi and places the Pader in a global dialogue – at a place of knowledge, learning and cultural exchange. At the Mühlencafé, an artistic intervention with historical film footage and stories refers to the cycle of nature, work and food. Finally, an opening and closing eye at the Residenzmuseum points to the spiritual dimension of water in Paderborn, where the Pader appears as a source of healing and renewal.

From the four stations, a dense, emotional story emerges – a portrait of the Pader as a natural space, a cultural memory, and a philosophical thought space.