Action is urgently needed, right now, to rescue our damaged and polluted rivers, to restore them as vital, thriving habitats and as enjoyable places to be in and by. At the UK River Summit in June 2024, speakers reiterated the criticality of the situation: we are at the watershed and we must act now.
XAP’s new project, Watershed, bears witness to this crisis on a very particular river, the River Ver, which runs through the ancient city of St Albans (the Roman Verulamium). The Ver presents a microcosm of this emergency: this unique chalkstream ecosystem was exposed to 4195 hours of sewage overflow in 2024, and continuously throughout 2025 so far, causing extreme pathogen levels and ecosystem damage.
Responding to this crisis, XAP artists have created large-scale installations for the magnificent North Transept of St Albans Cathedral, including a huge cascading sculpture, made from willow havested from the nearby River Ver, striking photographs and poetry, and an immersive interactive video installation. Watershed will be open to the public from 1st to 31st May 2025.
Events organised for this month-long project include schools activities, and on Saturday 24th May, a guided walk and litter pick along the Ver. On Wednesday 28th May, A Watershed Debate: What Does the Future Hold for Our Waterways? will bring together diverse voices, including Erica Popplewell, Campaigns Manager at River Action UK, Daisy Cooper MP, John Pritchard, chair of conservation group the Ver Valley Society, Dr Hilary Marlow, Canon Environmentalist, Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge and Trustee of A Rocha. Get your free ticket for the debate here.
And there’s more! Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People will be showing at the Abbey Theatre during May. On 15th May there is a special performance for the Ver Valley Society; tickets for this special performance here. General performances are 16th-24th May, tickets from the theatre box office.
London Rivers Week 2025 runs Friday 30th May to Sunday 8th June – a week-long annual campaign organised by Thames21, inspiring the public to celebrate all of London’s rivers and the many projects taking place to protect them.
Watershed: A River’s Call to Action has been generously sponsored by St Albans Cathedral Education Trust and the Christian Arts Trust
