9 minute read
The Works: “The Water
Wednesday 7/27
music
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Andrew Bird and Iron & Wine. Performing on the Outside Problems Tour with Meshell Ndegeocello. $35-60, 7pm. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. tingpavilion.com Beleza Duo. Samba soul. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com Josh Mayo and The House Sauce. Performing original rock and classic hits. Free, 7pm. Siren, 247 Ridge McIntire Rd. sirencville.com King Golden Banshee. The conglomerate of musicians plays for Irish Wednesday. Free, 5:30pm. The Pub at Lake Monticello, 51 Bunker Blvd., Palmyra. lakemonticellogolf.org Vincent Zorn. Performing live on the patio. Free, 6:30pm. Red Pump Kitchen, 401 E Main St., Downtown Mall. redpumpkitchen.com
stage
Little Women. The Virginia Theatre Festival presents Little Women by Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, and directed by Aubrey Snowden. $15-50, 7:30pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.org
outside
Farmers in the Park. Local farmers with seasonal produce and meats, cut and potted flowers, baked goods, hot meals, value-added products, prepared food, and crafts. Free, 3pm. Farmers in the Park, 300 Meade Ave. charlottesville.gov Wind Down Wednesday. Acoustic music, food trucks, and a stunning Charlottesville sunset. $5, 6pm. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trl. chilesfamily orchards.com
etc.
Family Film Series: Vivo. Featuring perennial favorites alongside modern classics. Free, 11am. Violet Crown Cinema, 200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. violetcrown.com
Thursday 7/28
music
Berto and Vincent. A night of wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 7pm. The Bebedero, 225 W. Main St., Downtown Mall. thebebedero.com
stage
Little Women. See listing for Wednesday, July 27. $15-50, 7:30pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatrefestival.org
Shakespeare at the Ruins: As You Like It.
Four County Players bring to life Shakespeare’s play about mistaken identities, love at first sight, amorous shepherds, impossible coincidences, and multiple marriages. $2325, 7pm. Barboursville Ruins, Mansion Rd., Barboursville. fourcp.org
outside
Sunset Market. Explore local vendors’ fresh produce, grab dinner from a food truck, enjoy artisan goods, make art at the outdoor art room, relax with a craft cocktail in The Looking Glass, and more. Free, 4:30pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org Tailgate Thursdays with 180. Enjoy a laidback evening in the vineyard with live music, wine, oysters from Salty Bottom Blue Osyters, and BYO lawn games, picnic blankets, and food to grill. Free, 6pm. Stinson Vineyards, 4744 Sugar Hollow Rd., Crozet. stinson vineyards.com
Thinking water
Martha Stafford’s ‘Water Appreciation Experience’ asks viewers to ponder the flow
By Matt Dhillon
arts@c-ville.com
Water surrounds us. It’s in the sky, on the earth, and underground. About 60 percent of the human body is water and about 70 percent of the surface of the globe is water. On the bottom of the ocean, life can exist without air or light—but not without water. On land too, a source of water is a source of life.
Artist Martha Stafford appreciates the crucial role water plays in the world, and in “The Water Appreciation Experience,” an interactive installation on display at 1326 E. High St., she invites guests to think more deliberately about their place in the water cycle.
Consider some of the crucial man-made fountains of this life-giving essence: dripping faucets, hoses, shower heads, and plastic bottles. Stafford celebrates these household objects and their importance as sources of water.
“I want people to realize that water is something sacred, that it’s something to be valued and not taken for granted,” she says.
Visitors of the installation enter a meditative, contemplative environment washed in the sound of lapping water. The tour travels clockwise to several stations where guests stop for water—water for drinking, water for bathing, water for cleaning, and water for recreation.
As they make their way through the exhibition, guests carry a vessel of a weight that corresponds to a certain volume of water. The experience is intimate, physically feeling the weight of the water you need to survive. Visitors pass images of Ragged Mountain Reservoir, as well as pictures of a dry land where the only source of water is a modest pipe. A section with images of figures carrying drinking water transitions into a section with a household toilet, juxtaposing the two and pointing out that the tank also flushes drinking water.
The tour takes a reverential perspective toward water and the channels it takes to reach us. There is an altar-like feeling at each station, and Stafford says she had the ritualistic Stations of the Cross in mind when putting together the journey. She’s also interested in expanding the water-based rituals the space can facilitate as she learns more about them.
“There’s a whole ceremony in some churches where they wash your feet,” Stafford says, “and I thought, ‘Oh that would be pretty wild, to see if I can find some ministers who would come and do that!’” But there are some simpler ideas too. “What I would like to start with is see if I can have people come and do a water meditation in the morning. Just come and sit here quietly and listen.”
Guests start the tour at the wishing pools with a water-based ritual. They pour a glass
SUPPLIED PHOTO
“The Water Appreciation Experience” is an interactive, thought-provoking meditation on water consumption and conservation.
of water, bring it in close, and whisper a wish into the cup. They drink one portion and pour another portion into the pool.
“That kind of ceremony is done by different Native American groups,” Stafford says. The gesture does have a strong impact. As some of the wished upon water enters the pool, as well as the body, it suggests that all water is really one water—drops into pools, pools into streams, streams into rivers, and so on.
The end of the circuit takes a more domestic turn, and presumably more familiar. The visitor approaches water fixtures they would use every day—their sink, their toilet, their shower, their bathtub—while reading statistics about how much fresh water goes through them, sitting for two minutes with aromatics, and reflecting. The water itself is represented by gold coins to show its value.
Stafford, who formerly ran the Charlottesville Cooking School, says it’s the basic stuff we overlook. One of them is drinking enough water.
“It’s such a simple obvious thing, but because it’s so obvious people take it for granted,” she says. “For many people that come here, they’ve never been quiet for 25 minutes, they don’t drink water, they don’t ever use these aromas that change your mood, so I see people visibly come in agitated and leave here feeling more peaceful.”
There are other special things about water. It is called “the universal solvent” by the United States Geological Survey because it has a greater power to dissolve than any other liquid. It is the only non-metallic liquid that expands when it freezes, which is why ice floats and why bodies of water stay warmer in their deepest parts during winter. Water is abundant, but most of the world’s water is in the ocean, and most of the freshwater that remains is frozen in glaciers. That leaves about 1 percent accessible as drinking water.
Access to clean water is not as easy as it may look on such a watery planet. Drought and demand can make water resources scarce in many environments. Pollution takes a heavy toll, too. All forms of pollution eventually make their way into water. Like the water from the wishing pools, all of the water we touch joins the rest of the water around us. The healthier we keep our waterways, the healthier we keep our world.
Little Women
SUPPLIED PHOTO
Ruth Caplin Theatre | Wednesday 7/27 – Sunday 7/31
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Thursday 7/28
Thursday Evening Sunset Series. Live music, food trucks, Carter Mountain Wine, Bold Rock Hard Cider, and a beautiful view of the sunset. $10, 6pm. Carter Mountain Orchard, 1435 Carters Mountain Trl. chiles familyorchards.com
etc.
Arts From Underground. Artmaking, drinks, and karaoke inside The Looking Glass. Free, 7pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org Bingo Night. Play musical bingo and sip on cider. Free, 6:30pm. Potters Craft Cider, 1350 Arrowhead Valley Rd. potterscraftcider.com Pride Night—Happy Hour. A casual cocktail hour with creative drinks and fun music. Free, 6pm. Vitae Spirits Distillery Downtown, 101 E. Water St. cvillepride.org
Friday 7/29
music
2 Wishes Trio. Joy, Mike, and Dan bring their jazzy beats, tight harmonies, and sweet sounds. Free, 6pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glass housewinery.com
Final Friday feat. Bobby Read Quartet.
An evening of jazz and wine with a vineyard view. Free, 5pm. Pollak Vineyards, 330 Newtown Rd., Greenwood. pollakvineyards.com Fridays After Five: Pale Blue Dot. With Films On Song. Free, 5:30pm. Ting Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. tingpavilion.com Virginia Man. Indie-folk and rock. Free, 7pm. The Garage, 250 N. First St. thegarage cville.com
stage
Little Women. See listing for Wednesday, July 17. $15-50, 7:30pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatre festival.org
Shakespeare at the Ruins: As You Like It.
See listing for Thursday, July 28. $23-25, 7pm. Barboursville Ruins, Mansion Rd., Barboursville. fourcp.org
outside
Summer Sundowns. Watch the summer sun descend behind the Blue Ridge Mountains with acoustic music from local performers. Free, 5pm. Chiswell Farm & Winery, 430 Greenwood Rd., Greenwood. chilesfamilyorchards.com legacy, and pioneer, and prizes for participants. $5, 6pm. The End Games, 374 Hillsdale Dr. theendgames.co
Ix Flix Free Summer Film Series: Akeelah
and the Bee. Artmaking, family-friendly activities, food trucks, cold drinks, and a sunset movie screening. Free, 6pm. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org
Saturday 7/30
music
Berto & Vincent. Brunch with wild gypsy rumba and Latin guitar. Free, 11am. Tavern & Grocery, 333 W. Main St. tavernand grocery.com Kendall Street Company. Alt rock vibes. $20, 6pm. The Batesville Market, 6624 Plank Rd. batesvillemarket.com Otra Vez. Sounds from Buenos Aires and beyond. Free, 5pm. Glass House Winery, 5898 Free Union Rd., Free Union. glass housewinery.com Scrapper T Duo. Toe-tapping roots music. Free, 2:30pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarle ciderworks.com Wahren Presents: Dogwood Tales. With Maddi Mae & The Shadow Cast and Ramona & The Holy Smokes. $10-12, 8pm. The Southern Café & Music Hall, 103 S. First St. thesoutherncville.com
stage
Little Women. See listing for Wednesday, July 27. $15-50, 2 and 7:30pm. Ruth Caplin Theatre, 109 Culbreth Rd. virginiatheatre festival.com
Shakespeare at the Ruins: As You Like It.
See listing for Thursday, July 28. $23-25, 7pm. Barboursville Vineyards, 17655 Winery Rd. bbvwine.com
outside
Charlottesville City Market. Fresh produce, handmade gifts, homemade baked goods, and more. Free, 8am. Charlottesville City Market, 100 Water St. E. charlottesville.gov Farmers Market at Ix. Over 60 local vendors with produce, prepared foods, artisan goods, and more. Free, 8am. Ix Art Park, 522 Second St. SE. ixartpark.org
etc.
Indie Short Film Series. Screenings of seven short films followed by a filmmaker’s panel discussion. $20, 7pm. Light House Studio: Vinegar Hill Theatre, 220 W. Market St. lifeviewmarketingandvisuals.com Kizomba in the Orchard. A family-friendly night of dancing, dining, and cider. Free, 6pm. Albemarle CiderWorks, 2545 Rural Ridge Ln., North Garden. albemarlecider works.com
