Paula Jardine

RiverSong

RiverSong is a tea party in the woods by the Colquitz River, an urban waterway that still supports a small but significant run of wild chum and coho salmon. It is held on the last Sunday of September, in recognition of BC Rivers Day.

Co-created with Carolyn Knight, it was supported by the community arts division of Saanich Parks, and developed with the generous assistance of the BC Arts Council, through the Arts Based Community Development grant program.

We began with the idea of Singing the Salmon Home, and Carolyn wrote a cycle of songs evocative of the natural systems that support the salmon, and celebrating the heroism and mystery of their life's journey.

With RiverSong, we wanted to create new traditions that support connectedness with the land through song, poetry, dance and visual arts, and simply being together in the landscape.