“Breathe, River” Sound Installation at the Pump House

“Breathe, River” is a 4-channel sound installation by VCUarts faculty Sara Bouchard presented inside Richmond’s historic Byrd Park Pump House. The work features a musical composition by Bouchard based on water quality data from the James River, recorded on tenor saxophone by Jason Scott. The piece is informed by conversations with aquatic ecologist Dr. Paul Bukaveckas (VCU School of Life Sciences and Sustainability) and reveals the drastic fluctuations of dissolved oxygen levels in the river due to harmful algal blooms. This project was originally presented in 2019 and was supported by a 2018 grant from Richmond CultureWorks. Water quality data is presented courtesy VCU Rice Rivers Center.

*Free with suggested donation. All ages.
*No tickets required; arrive any time during the exhibition. Admission is limited to 20 people at a time, so note that there may be a short wait.
*Hard hats are provided. Dress for the weather as this is an open-air building.
*Preview the piece: sarabouchard.com/works/breathe-river

Sara Bouchard is a multidisciplinary artist and composer who uses sound, installation and performance to interweave song and the landscape. She received her MFA from VCUarts Kinetic Imaging in 2019 and her BA from Yale University in 2003. She has exhibited and performed internationally, including at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (CT), The Center for Book Arts (NYC) and ERES Foundation (Munich, Germany). She currently teaches at VCUarts.