This weekend, SRP, in collaboration with Scottsdale Public Art, is offering the public a glimpse of a rare event that isn't slated to occur again for another seven years: fish herding.
The fish are white amur -- a species of carp placed in the canals to keep the waters clean. According to SRP, "a seven pound white amur can eat three-quarters of its weight in weeds daily." SRP employees will herd these fish out of the section of the canal between Scottsdale Road and Arizona Falls so that the water can be dried-up, allowing for routine maintenance and cleaning.
But this time, SRP is working with Scottsdale Public Art for the event Canal Convergence | Art + Maintenance to add a bit of flare to the process.
See also: - Ashley Macias in Jackalope Ranch's 100 Creatives - Valerie Vadala Homer to Retire from Post as Director of Scottsdale Public Art - Isaac Caruso's Mural and Exhibition "Skid Roo" at monOrchid Gallery in Downtown Phoenix
On the day of the herding, Tucson-based performance group Flam Chen will be on the Soleri Bridge with stilt acrobatics and a percussion ensemble.
Additionally, local artists Isaac Caruso and Ashley Macias are collaborating on Canal Creatures: an eco-friendly mural set to go up after the canal has been completely drained. On Saturday, the two artists will be hanging out on the Marshall Way Bridge available to discuss this upcoming project.
As a final iteration of Canal Convergence | Art + Maintenance, San Antonio artist Casey Cooper will install Untitled - Floating Triangles in early February just before the water is re-introduced to the canal.
According to SRP, Canal Convergence | Art + Maintenance is "designed to generate awareness of the simple beauty in the basic yet rarely seen functions necessary to sustain modern life in the desert."
Art + Maintenance is the second event in the three-part Canal Convergence series. The final event Canal Convergence | Spring Equinox will take place in March 2013.
Canal Convergence | Art + Maintenance takes place Saturday, January 12 from 8 a.m. to noon. The event starts at the Soleri Bridge & Plaza just SW of Scottsdale and Camelback. For more information visit the SRP event page or the Scottsdale Public Art event page. Stay tuned to Jackalope Ranch for further updates on the collaborative mural and the final February installation.
