Riverine Borders: On rivers and other border materialities

Waterways are essential components of the living and non-living world. They shape landscapes and serve as demarcation lines—as “natural borders”—between states in many parts of the world. In addition to being lines that separate, rivers and streams are also lines that connect, and borderland territories are often particularly rich places of life, interaction, passage, porosity, cross-pollination and exchange.

Organised in the context of Zoe Leonard’s exhibition Al río / To the River, a series of lectures and the symposium Riverine Borders—On rivers and other border materialities will focus on the materiality of these river borders from a territorial, geographical, and political point of view, and also from a metaphorical perspective, as arbitrary places where interests and ideologies overlap and clash. 

A number of scholars and researchers in the fields of visual arts, cultural studies, history and geography will consider the riverine border in the North American and European contexts. Their interventions are both part and a continuation of contemporary debates on the status and the (symbolic) meanings of borders. These questions of borders have gained particular momentum in recent decades. The significance of borders as a response to the rise of burgeoning nationalisms or the ongoing migration management crisis in particular, has led to a forced digitalisation of border regimes, an increase in physical and digital surveillance and the multiplication of border installations worldwide.

Schedule
9:45am Welcoming and short introduction
10am–12:30pm On the materiality of the river
Rebekka Kanesu Liquid Lines—An exploration of hydrosocial borders
Ifor Duncan Weaponising a River
C. J. Alvarez Three Ways to Think about River History with Examples from the Rio Grande (30 minutes each + discussion)
12:30–2pm Lunch break + possibility to visit the exhibition
2–4:30pm On the river as a metaphor
Elisabeth Lebovici & Catherine Facerias Crossing over with Borderlands/La Frontera
Daniela Johannes Cry Me a River: Water Affects and Womanhood in Borderlands Chicanx Literature
Astrid Fellner Bridging Rivers/Undoing Borders: Queer Border Practices on the US-Mexican Border (30 minutes each and discussion)
5pm Closing and final discussion.

This symposium has been developed in conjunction with Zoe Leonard’s exhibition Al río / To the River (26.02–06.06.2022, Mudam Luxembourg) in collaboration with partners of the UniGR-Center for Border Studies: University of Luxembourg (Geography and Spatial Planning), Universität des Saarlandes (North American Literary and Cultural Studies) and Universität Trier (Trier Center for American Studies).

Free of charge / Limited admission / Language: English / Subject to modification or cancellation / Booking required: mudam.com/rsvp-riverine-borders

The programme will be available online on mudam.com/stream-riverine-borders.

Mudam Luxembourg—Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean promotes creativity, visionary thinking, openness and cultural participation for all. Like Luxembourg itself, Mudam is situated in Europe but has a global and outward-looking vision. Mudam is committed to a more inclusive, more tolerant and more responsible world in which museums play a leading role in the transmission of our cultural heritage to future generations.

Our mission is to collect, conserve and present the most relevant contemporary art of our time and make it accessible to a wide audience. Through its exhibitions, publications, and artistic and educational programmes, Mudam fosters research and dialogue while giving special attention to the changing nature of art and its production across the world.