Capertee Valley Hydrology Project

Created in response to long-term drought in the region, The Capertee Valley Hydrology Project was an ambitious multi-year initiative based around a number of cultural and community gatherings designed to work towards repairing eroded waterways across the catchment. Incorporated into the entire project was the Capertee Weaving Water community creative engagement.

Bringing together farmers, artists, scientists, community members and Traditional custodians through multiple projects since 2019, the initiative has had a profound impact within the valley community, catalysing conversations around agricultural philosophy, regenerative farming and celebrating the things that support and connect. The Capertee community is dispersed throughout the valley, so making opportunities to gather has underpinned the activities and brought joy and wellbeing in the face of bushfire crises, extended drought and Covid-19 impacts.

Some of the key individuals involved in the project are were Kerrie Cooke of Capertee Valley Landcare; artist and Traditional custodian of the Dabee, Peter Swain; Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation artists, Leanne Thompson and Georgie Pollard; and master weavers Peter Williamson and Lanny Mackenzie.

Highlights include the reimagining of traditional Water Ceremony for community led by Peter Swain, a large landscape-based ephemeral woven sculpture led by Leanne Thompson, and a mapping project led by Georgie Pollard to map Capertee’s waterways and gather stories of people’s relationship to water in the valley.

The final stages of the project culminated at the recent Cementa Festival in Kandos in May 2022 with documentation including maps, photos and videos. Georgie Pollard exhibited her completed map artwork and Leanne Thompson created a participatory installation made of woven grass string and bamboo that Cementa visitors contributed to throughout the weekend.