Waterways

A sonic document of canoe travel through the International Port of Chicago, the little Calumet River, and the I&M canal-the last great American waterway built during the canal era.  From industrial harbor to tadpole pond, these waterways once linked the Gulf of Mexico with the eastern seaboard and opened up a flow of goods and people that fueled westward expansion and Chicago’s robust growth.

Waterways is edited from the original soundtrack of Waterways: Chicago to Utica, a video project by Dan Peterman realized for the HEARTLAND exhibition.  HEARTLAND was co-produced in 2008-2009 by Van Abbemuseum, NL, and the Smart Museum, Chicago. [publisher’s note]