A water-art project that connects rivers, people and cultures

By Joachim Eckl in cooperation with Karl-Heinz Tritschler and Mohamed el Saidi

11th of April 2008
Egypt

Water is not only an element but origin of life and basis of any human interaction. Without a joint management of water supply, without the interaction connected to the common reference water, human settlements and development would not have been possible. Water connects people, countries and cultures.

24 people from 7 different countries let the water of the Danube join the water of the Nile. They were on board of the historic Dongola from 1835 from Mohamed el Saidi and further 7 ships and 6 Floukas. The water from the Danube has been taken from the project “The drawing of the Danube’s origin” by Joachim Eckl. He now brought this water to Luxor.

A 3000 year old ritual was performed on these boats: People from Austria, Germany, Spain, Scottland, the United States and Egypt let the Danube flow into the Nile.
A one-week work shop had been organized with Karl-Heinz Tritschler in the Marsam Hotel in Gourna/West Bank Luxor before. The aim was to understand and transform the pharaoh tradition of taking water to the gods with the present European comprehension.

On the way to the Nile the water was taken to the Sethos Tempel I and charged with the ancient Egyptian spirit which forms the basis of all existing modern cultures. Taking the examples of water rituals, Karl-Heinz Tritschler explained the role of water in Egyptian mythology there.

On the 11th of April 2008 seven boats formed a bridge between Karnak and the Tempel of Sethos I stretching over the Nile. This was the ancient link of these historic sites and was again marked by the boat’s formation. The water of the Danube was then given over to the Nile in a ritualized method on traditional Egyptian sailing boats.

The 7 steps of the water ritual have been performed by each of the 7 people on the boats.

3 x The water of the Danube is blown into the Nile using your mouth - water-vapour/mist

3x The water of the Danube is dripped into the Nile with the hands - drops/rain

1x The water of the Danube is being poured from the clay vase into the Nile – stream/river

Karl-Heinz Tritschler
was born in Freiburg in 1957. He studied painting, art therapy and art education. He was also trained at the Waldorf seminary in Stuttgart. He does basic research since 1998 about the teaching method in plastic theory and published cultural psychological studies for the expanded concept of art. Tritschler teaches art and art history and is an employee of "Omnibus GmbH für direkte Demokratie"  www.omnibus.org . Project manager of the Omnibus initative “education and democracy – counselling of schools." Seminar trips and projects in Luxor and on the Nile concerning Joseph Beuys and ancient Egypt (Death keeps me awake)

Further pictures