4-channel sound installation in collaboration with artist Jared Duesterhaus. Presented at InLight Richmond in Bryan Park, Richmond, VA. Run time: approx. 13 mins.
Uprise is a sonic exploration of weather, history, memory, and human struggle. Containing sounds sourced from objects in Bryan Park, the piece depicts the great thunderstorm of 1800 which flooded the area and thwarted Gabriel Prosser’s rebellion to end slavery.
A thunderstorm forms when the upward movement of warm air clashes with the cool air of the upper atmosphere. This cycle of rise and disruption presents a metaphor for social justice movements across time and history. As Frederick Douglass stated, “If there is no struggle there is no progress… [Those who disagree] want rain without thunder and lightning.” As the climate warms and severe storm events occur with more frequency, how will weather shape the events of our future?
Sara Bouchard and Jared Duesterhaus met as grad students in Virginia Commonwealth University’s Kinetic Imaging program, receiving MFAs in 2019 and 2020, respectively. This is their first artistic collaboration.