clipped from blog.lib.umn.edu

The film "Rivers and Tides" documenting the work of Andy Goldsworthy, besides being beautifully shot and edited, caused my mind to wander and reflect at a Zen like pace about these ideas of flow and transformation in various aspects of life from nature to humanity and culture. After watching the film in class and listening to the lecture, I watched it again at home and found Goldsworthy's slow, thoughtful way of speaking about his work to be quite meditative. I began to think about the idea of flow and energy in the city that we are blind to because of our constant exposure to it. One thing that immediately comes to mind is the network of streets, roads, ramps and highways that make up every city and is almost identical anywhere you go. These man-made concrete 'rivers' constructed for the purpose of easy transportation, almost mimic the natural flow of the river. Despite their ugly concrete and steel construction they can have a kind of austere beauty.