Baltimore’s lost rivers floating back to the surface
S19 – Ghost Rivers by Bruce Willen
Ghost Rivers is a 1.5-mile public art installation and walking tour that visualises a lost stream buried below the streets of Baltimore. These waterways still exist but as the streets around them started to grow, they disappeared beneath concrete tunnels.
The project explores the hidden history and path of Sumwalt Run, a creek buried in the early 1900s, through a series of installations, wayfinding markers, and writings. It’s an interactive experience using data to encourage people to explore and truly engage with their local waterways and surroundings.
Cities around the world are starting to discover the environmental and social benefits of resurrecting their lost waterways – a great example is Utrecht in the Netherlands, where the historic Catharijnesingel canal has been successfully restored. And an interesting global study Hidden Hydrology includes a project looking at London’s numerous subterranean waterways.
Ghost Rivers brings lost landscapes and histories to the surface. Bruce Willen, along with an extensive list of collaborators, is the multidisciplinary artist, designer, and musician behind the project. Bruce is also the founder of Public Mechanics, a design and art studio that works on exciting projects in public and cultural spaces. Don’t worry if you’re not able to visit the installation in person, there’s also a digital version of the walking tour.
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