further the cultural awareness of this place and its people. Photographs capture history and tell stories - they are the vehicle by which we know ourselves.
The sounds which have been recorded for the accompanying “soundscape” are derived directly from the river as source material - ferry engines, bells, fog horns, whistles, seagulls, bridge sounds, tug boats and trains all will provide an ambient soundfield for the emergence of voices of our elder residents. These voices tell stories based on memory and, in so doing, create impressions or feelings. The idea which the composer would like to convey is one of “the river as keeper of dreams.” The impermanence of the river, constant - yet flowing, is much like our subconscious itself. Stories and the process of storytelling emboddies our attempts to create a patterned collective language based on symbols. The exhibit itself will be comprised of 30 to 40 photographs, and could be expanded in the future. These images and the accompanying soundscape CD titled “Voices of the Atchafalaya - Long River Dreaming,” would be designed for travel. The first installation was in February of 2007. Since then, a smaller exhibit has been shown in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Patterson.
The Atchafalaya Basin of south Louisiana is that cypress-tupelo low-lying swamp of the lower Mississippi deltaic plain. It’s unique habitat and biodiversity exist as one of the richest environments on earth. Berlin-based photographer John Amrhein and Lousiana-based composer/sound recordist Earl Robicheaux are currently in the process of designing an exhibition of images and sounds based on the Atchafalaya and its people. Both Amrhein and Robicheaux are natives of the Atchafalaya area and have family roots in this region of south Louisiana. This collaboration of photographer and composer represents an effort to translate and reflect on the cultural roots of the Atchafalaya, its primary metaphor being the river itself. The photographs will feature people, their place in the landscape, or at times the landscape itself. This multi-media installation of images and sounds is designed to bring forth those past memories in an effort to create an appreciation of our present experience and