This installation was born out of my wonder and curiosity for the immense riverine system of the Upper Loddon River. The various 3D and 2D elements document my journey of following the river’s tributaries in search of their essence. It is my way of learning about the waterways of the DjaDja Wurrung country where I live. Much as women in 19th century England stitched maps to learn geography, I replicate tracings of maps in stainless steel and coloured copper wire. But topographical maps, artifacts of settler culture, inevitably represent a flawed and disconnected reality. The other installation elements hint at what is missing: the embossings are fragmented, the shadows are ephemeral and even the stones are not of this river. It was in collaborating with projection artist Chi-uh Star, when visiting the riverbank, that I felt closest to knowing its presence. Together all these explorations, including of my own ignorance, honour the river.