THE FLUVIAL CROSS by Robert Gschwantner
PVC tubing filled with river water, plastic
Robert Gschwantner weaves carpets from transparent PVC tubing, which he fills with liquids such as water, spilled crude oil, or heavy-metal sludge that he has collected from various bodies of water across European landscapes. Originally focused on ecology, he expanded his focus to include artificial water landscapes such as islands, lakes, canals, and waterfalls that were constructed for technical, economic, or political reasons and feature extraordinary landscape forms and layouts.
BERLIN-WEEKLY features a project on the waterway intersection in Magdeburg: there, the Mittelland Canal crosses the Elbe via a canal bridge. Two watercourses intersect at different levels—an artificial landscape feature that does not occur in nature.
