Spotlight on Basia Irland's Ice Books
Basia Irland recently put out the invitation to participate in her incredible project Ice Books.
River water is frozen, carved into the form of a book, embedded with an “ecological language” or “riparian text” consisting of local native seeds, and placed back into the stream. The seeds are released as the ice melts in the current. Those who contribute to or participate in the Ice Book launches are determined by the location.
At Keepers of the Waters, we decided to take our ice book to the Gowanus Canal, one of America’s most polluted waterways. Because the Gowanus is so polluted, access to the water is highly restricted. We had to scramble off a dock and onto a gravel embankment exposed by the low tide.
Long ago, the Gowanus Canal was a life-sustaining estuary for countless plants, fish, birds, and microorganisms. But today, up to 10 feet of coal tar and sewage permanently rests on the bottom of the canal, leading some pessimists to declare that “the canal will never be clean.”
But we placed our ice book, embedded with tiny seeds and prayers written on biodegradable paper, into the Gowanus anyway. We watched the ice book glimmer in the afternoon sun, sending tiny ripples around the canal, until a pilot boat passed by.
Where will you place an ice book? Which waters need your intention?
