‘An inspirational reminder of the place of rivers in our lives, and the challenges faced by the damage & pollution caused by our carelessness.’
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 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 created large-scale installations for the magnificent North Transept of St Albans Cathedral, including a huge cascading sculpture, made from willow harvested from the nearby River Ver, striking visual poetry, and an immersive interactive video installation. Watershed was open to the public from 1st to 31st May 2025.
‘Very inspiring exhibition that mirrors our concerns about the health of our rivers.’
Events organised for this month-long project included 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? brought 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.
It is estimated that approximately 37,800 people visited the exhibition during the month of May. Based on its positive reception in the Cathedral, our aim is for Watershed to be a touring exhibition.
‘Stunning, simple, soulful. A real measure of what our chalk streams face today and more importantly what we can do to help save them.’
‘It was a great delight for St Albans Cathedral to host the Watershed installation, with its imaginative use of different media to draw in and engage our visitors, and encouraging a response to reflect on our relationship with our natural environment. Of particular value to us was how the installation enabled us to create a variety of events and workshops to enrich our programme of engagement and learning. Thank you to Liz, Angela, and Laura for your passion and imagination in bringing alive the life-giving importance of our waterways.’ Rev Dr Kevin Walton, Canon Chancellor of St Albans Cathedral
Watershed: A River’s Call to Action has been generously sponsored by St Albans Cathedral Education Trust and the Christian Arts Trust
