Bamboo rafts on Westport river putting the spotlight on water quality
The Testing the Waters Project in Westport has brought science and art together to explore what a healthy river looks like to highlight the vital role of biodiversity in our waterways.
Funded by Research Ireland, the year-long initiative was led by the Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water, in partnership with Westport Tidy Towns and the Local Authority Waters Programme.
At the heart of the project was Flotilla 2025, a stunning art installation unveiled on Saturday as part of Heritage Week. Created by artist William Bock, the installation is on display on the Carrowbeg River in the centre of Westport.
The installation comprises of bamboo rafts, each carrying a hand-crafted sculpture of a native river plant or species that are vital to biodiversity and good water quality. The sculptures are made from perspex mirrors, wire, and recycled metal, allowing light to pass through and interact with the water. Once the installation concludes, the rafts will be dismantled and repurposed for use in local gardens and public spaces.
“One part of the work I was interested in was extenuating and foregrounding these quiet beings,” said William, “They get on and clean the water for us, create habitats for fish and insects and all different ways of supporting the life of a river.”
One of the key aims of the installation was to make the science of rivers and climate change more accessible. It recognised that scientific language can often feel complex or alienating, and the Testing the Waters Project sought to resolve that issue by using art as a universal language to connect people to nature.
The Flotilla 2025 installation on the Carrowbeg River, inspired by native plants and river species that indicate good water quality. Photo: Michael McLaughlin
Each sculpture tells a story, ecological, cultural, and linguistic. The installations are accompanied by signage in both English and Irish, offering scientific insight as well as the richness of the Irish language and heritage.
“We have a combination of these bamboo rafts and the plant sculptures. Each plant tells a story about the native ecology of rivers in Ireland. There is folklore around each plant as well,” William explained.
He highlighted how language can shape our perception of nature. Speaking about the Broadleaf Pondweed, he said: “The Pondweed has many qualities. It supports and protects habitats for animals and insects, and provides food for wildlife as well. They’re in the river here, you’ll see them around.
“They’re an example of the poetry of how names can influence perception. If you call something a ‘Pondweed’, you’re less likely to be interested in it, but if you call it ‘Bridget’s Spoon’, suddenly it has meaning, reverence, even a personality. That’s what I love about the Irish language, it has those accessible ways of understanding and relating to nature.”
William highlighted the cultural element to his work while explaining another installation depicting Water Mint, or ‘Mismin Mionsach’: “Water Mint was a sacred plant for the druids. It’s very much an agent of cleaning and purifying the water, taking toxins out,” he said.
For William, each piece of art acts as a kind of magnification, bringing into focus what is often hidden or overlooked: “A lot of the issues that are going on in the world around ecology and the climate emergency are around not actually seeing the impacts of our actions. Everything from the food system to where our water or our waste goes, a lot of that now is very hidden.”
As an artist, William was clear that his role was not to deliver hard science, but to bring a different lens: “I’m not a scientist, I don’t have that deep technical knowledge, but I do have curiosity and an openness to explore. I think being a scientist is a creative and curious profession in essence, but finding those meaningful points, I think, will really help both the arts and the science perspective.
William Bock at the launch of Flotilla 2025, the floating installation combines art and science to spark conversations about river health, biodiversity, and sustainability. Photo: Michael McLaughlin
“Using scientific words can sometimes be blockers, and people don’t know how to emotionally connect to a given landscape or a plant or animal because it’s caught up in the language.”
The combined use of science, art, and community was the key to the Testing the Waters Project. Over three weekends, scientists, researchers, artists, and residents came together for panels, workshops, and activities that looked to explore the river’s biodiversity.
Eithne Larkin, Chairperson of Westport Tidy Towns, said keeping the community at the centre was essential to the project: “The artwork is a living conversation between our community, our environment and our shared future.
“Westport Tidy Towns has always stood for collaboration, care and creativity, and today we see these values come to life in the river with this art installation, which William has done an absolutely fantastic job on.
Cllr John O'Malley, Leas-Cathaoirleach of the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District, with Members of Westport Tidy Towns, LAWPRO, Research Ireland and Co-Centre for Climate,Biodiversity, Water at the launch of Flotilla 2025. Photo: Michael McLaughlin
“The Flotilla installation is more than a visual spectacle, it’s a floating conversation between art, science and community. They’re not just decorative, they are symbolic, they represent the fragile balance of our ecosystem, the flow of knowledge between generations and the collective journey we are on as we respond to climate change and biodiversity loss.”
Cathy Foley from Research Ireland reiterated William’s point of the importance of using art to spark a discussion: “A really important part of our work is public engagement, and I’m delighted to see this kind of project that is about the process of engaging with the public and the link with the scientists but also working with artists.
“Some people think science isn’t for them, but the art [aims] to start the conversation, and it’s a really important element. We don’t want to create a solution for people, we want to create them with people.”
The Flotilla will remain on the Carrowbeg river for just ten days, offering the public a fleeting but powerful reminder of the river’s hidden life and the need to protect it.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.