A Glossary of Water

Aquatic artefact and companion to the 23rd Biennale of Sydney – edited by José Roca and Juan Francisco Salazar

By Biennale of Sydney

23rd Biennale of Sydney: rīvus

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

Rivers might have different names today and Australian maps have forgotten whole Countries, 
but this always was, 
always will be, 
Aboriginal land,
Aboriginal waters.

We acknowledge the many ancestral Countries and waters that we are connected to. We honour Traditional Owners and pay our respect to Elders and future communities.

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

A Glossary of Water is a substantial publication presented as an artist book, a scholarly reference, and a beautiful object.

Edited by José Roca and Juan Francisco Salazar, A Glossary of Water is a limited edition aquatic artefact—a companion to the 23rd Biennale of Sydney.

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

The principal working themes – weaving and rivers – naturally expand towards topics like rights of nature, sustainability, food security, consumption, pollution, biodiversity, extinction and ancestral technologies.

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

This publication sheds light on an important and urgent subject and highlights the deep connections that Australia has to its waterways and bodies of water.

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

The book follows the logic of a glossary, using approximately 80 terms as headings and 'definitions' such as creek, dam, estuary, flood, weave and weft.

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

A Glossary of Water has been printed sustainably on excess paper stock of different types and weights from previous book projects, rather than recycled paper, giving the profile of the publication the look and feel of the sediment of the river.

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

Immerse yourself in A Glossary of Water and listen to a selection of rīvus participants as they read their contributions ...

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

F

Flow

Cave Urban read their contribution to A Glossary of Water.



A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

A Glossary of Water | Cave Urban | Flow and Containment
00:00

FLOW AND CONTAINMENT
GAY HAWKINS, 2021

"In me everything is already flowing."—Luce Irigaray, 1991.

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

A Glossary of Water | Cave Urban | Flows
00:00

FLOWS
CAVE URBAN, 2021

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

M

Mimesis

Artist Hanna Tuulikki reads her contribution to A Glossary of Water.

Seals'kin (2022) by Hanna TuulikkiBiennale of Sydney

A Glossary of Water | Hanna Tuulikki
00:00

MIMESIS
HANNA TUULIKKI, 2021

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

P

[Parramatta] Burramatta

Artist Leanne Tobin reads her contribution to A Glossary of Water.

Ngalawan–We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country) (2022) by Leanne TobinBiennale of Sydney

A Glossary of Water | Leanne Tobin
00:00

[Parramatta] Burramatta


NGALAWAN—WE LIVE, WE REMAIN
LEANNE TOBIN, 2021

A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

P

Petrichor

Artist David Haines reads his and Joyce Hinterding's contribution to A Glossary of Water.


A Glossary of Water (2022) by José Roca and Juan Francisco SalazarBiennale of Sydney

A Glossary of Water | David Haines and Joyce Hinterding
00:00

PHASE TRANSITIONS
DAVID HAINES AND JOYCE HINTERDING, 2021

Petrichor—from Greek petra, stone, and ichor, the blood from Greek gods—is a term coined in 1964 by Australian scientists Isabel Joy Bear and Richard Thomas to name the smell of the first rain on dry, warm earth.

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