About the project
One of the most prevalent origin stories about Dordrecht goes that it was founded at a spot between the rivers Merwede and Dubbel: the Thuredrith. A passage so shallow that ships had to be dragged through it with manpower. This evocative myth sparks the imagination that over the centuries, the towing of these ships created a space where the city grew.
The art project rivier, boot, stad is inspired both by the above story and by the important role inland shipping played in the history and growth of the city. In an old shipyard in Dordrecht, Thomson and his team of shipbuilders, trainees and volunteers built a reconstruction of a historic ‘hektjalk’. A type of inland transport barge which was made and sailed in and around Dordrecht in previous centuries. After being charred the black ship will be pulled from the Dordrechts Museum to het Hof van Nederland, with manpower during a one-day event.
The narrow streets mean it is impossible for the boat to make the journey intact: the further the boat is towed, the more it falls apart. The wreckage of the ship will be returned to the district as a series of bronze sculptures placed in the urban fabric.
rivier, boot, stad is a reflection on transience, because of the dramatic loss of the ship that was built with hard work. At the same time, it is a celebration of what is possible through collective effort. By dragging the ship through the narrow streets of ’t Hofkwartier, the individual draggers are writing their own narratives into this impossible journey.