Rivers that Talk and Bridges That Sing - Sound installation in the Upright canoe is under repair

The sounds that you hear coming from the upright canoe in Riverview Park, along the Kentucky River at Frankfort, are temporary silent. The amplifier that plays the music, voice and ambient sound became waterlogged in January and stopped working!

It’s the third time the electronics have been replaced since its installation in 2016.

The first time, a torrential rain storm filled the bench with water and the amplifier was ruined. That problem was solved by drilling holes in the bottom of the canoe near the base, so that any water from rain would run out. The second time the amplifier was destroyed was in the flood of 2021, and visitors can see the high water mark on the canoe.

With the 2021 update of the audio piece, we added the sound of the break-away marina that crashed into and passed under the Singing Bridge in the flood. The voices of Penny Peavler and Gene Burch retell that frightening scene.

The amplifier will be replaced after the threat of spring flooding is over. In the meantime, visitors can scan the QR code and listen to piece on their smartphone at: https://soundcloud.com/joanna-hay/rivers-that-talk-and-bridges-that-sing-v2-2021

Rivers That Talk and Bridges that Sing is an audio installation by Joanna Hay. It is 30 minutes of looped music, voice and ambient sound, housed in an upright canoe in Frankfort, on the banks of the Kentucky River. This piece is inspired by childhood memory, the threat of flooding and the desire to care for the river.

Oral history interview clips from the community are interwoven with music and poetry housed in a canoe, placed in Riverview Park along the river.

Rivers That Talk and Bridges That Sing
30 minutes of looped sound housed in an upright canoe.

Tones of the Singing Bridge recorded and mixed by Jordon Ellis.

Interviews archived at the Kentucky History Center:
Jeri Katherine Howell
Nathan Depenbrock
Allison Depenbrock
Gerry Seavo James
Vinson Parsons
Judith Clark
Alice Blanton
Mattie Davis
Van Warren

Telling the story of the 2021 Kentucky River Flood when the escaped marina floated down the Kentucky River crashing into the Singing Bridge:

Penny Peavler
Gene Burch

The River
Written and performed by Judah Thornewill (guitar) and Joanna Hay (violin) with tones from the Singing Bridge.

Turbulence
Written by Jeff Ellis
Performed by Stirfry Musette

Liquid Measure
Written and read by Trina Peiffer

Recording, Mixing and Mastering by Jordon Ellis
Bench built by Rhett Fulkerson

Special thanks to Frank Arts, City of Frankfort, Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort/Franklin County Tourist Commission and Canoe Kentucky (for the gift of the canoe.)

©2021 Joanna Hay Productions
All Rights Reserved

www.joannahayproductions.com
Impact & Legacy