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Winding Down the Charles
Temporary Installation |
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| Spools and Needle Tower |
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| Location: |
Cambridge, MA. |
| Client: | The Cambridge Arts Council |
| Materials: | String, steel, blue ribbons, blue chalk, buckets |
| Costs: | $1,200 string,
$1,800 artists fees |
| Collaborators: | Scott Tiede
Kelly Kaczynski |
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| Winding Down the Charles was an interactive installation during the Cambridge River Festival done in collaboration by Mags Harries, Scott Tiede and Kelly Kaczynski. Along the shore of the Charles River, the artists continuously wound 78.4 miles of string which represents the entire length of the Charles River.
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| Beginning with 250 spools laid out at one end, the string traveled through five "needle towers" to be wound into one growing ball. While the artists wound the ball, the community of Cambridge, there to enjoy festivities, were invited to write hopes and memories of the river onto blue ribbons. |
Writing Wishes |
Winding the Ball |
These ribbons were then tied onto the string and wound into the river's ball. The ball became a symbol not only of the distance of the Charles River, but of the lives centered around it's vitality. Winding Down the Charles river took place during the 1997 and 1998 Cambridge River Festivals. |
| Each year, the ball was wound through day and night for forty hours straight, a total of 87 hours of winding. At the end of that time, the 78.4 mile distance was completed. The ball is approx. 3' wide and wieghs up to 250 lbs. |
Spools of String |
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| Along the Charles | Tying Wishes |
All Photos by |
 
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