Sara Bouchard: “Breathe, River”

Exhibition Hours:  Saturday & Sunday, June 1 & 2, 12-6pm

Visitors will be able to tour the building to hear the work. Admission is every half-hour on the hour and is limited to 20 people at a time (hard hats will be required/provided).

Entrance is FREE with a suggested donation of $5 to Friends of Pump House.

“Breathe, River” features a musical composition based on water quality data from the James River, recorded on tenor saxophone by Richmond native Jason Scott. The work is informed by conversations with aquatic ecologist Dr. Paul Bukaveckas of VCU’s Rice Rivers Center and reveals the drastic fluctuations of dissolved oxygen levels in the river due to algae blooms. These chronic summer-long blooms, caused by wastewater runoff upstream, threaten the health of the river, harm wildlife, and present potential hazards to human health.

Sara Bouchard is a multidisciplinary artist and composer who uses sound, installation and performance to interweave American histories and the landscape. She received her MFA in Kinetic Imaging from VCUarts in 2019 and her BA from Yale University in 2003. She has exhibited and performed internationally, including at the Center for Book Arts in New York City and in the Berlin Underground in Germany.This project is made possible thanks to the CultureWorks Grant Program and the generosity of Friends of Pump House.