The small, unassuming wall relief at the entrance to “Confluence,” a modest but timely exhibition at Track 16 on the theme of water issues related to the Los Angeles River, turns out to be emblematic of what follows.
For “L.A. River Paper,” artist Emma Robbins gathered slight fragments of matted algae, leaves and bird material from the water, then stitched the fuzzy pieces together with reddish thread into an irregularly shaped sheet. This is handmade paper that merges natural formation and artistic intervention — a confluence, in other words. The word describes both the general process of separate things coming together and — notably — the specific junction of two rivers.
What is the other river coursing through Robbins’ “L.A. River Paper”? A compelling video by AnMarie Mendoza suggests a provocative answer: a river of humanity.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times.