It's a Moving Meadow...

It’s a meadow, on a butty boat, towed by a tugboat, through the canals from Bath to London. Created by artist Tania Kovats, the moving meadow is “both an idea of a landscape and a floating miniature landscape itself”. It will “trace a line… making a connection between two places, and leaving a trace of its journey in the mind of all those who encounter this floating garden”. The moving meadow is a reminder of the links between nature and the past. It is a diary of a journey of varying landscapes, laden with history, and of the manoeuvring of the boats through it. The canals were once essential routes for trade and communication. Tugs moved coal from mines to power stations. The James Loader, now lovingly restored, was built in 1946 and worked until 1962, when a harsh winter forced the coal traffic onto trucks forever and marked the end of an era.

The meadow has been grown especially for the project and is being returned intact at the end to a patch in Wiltshire. It is a magical mix of June flowering wildflowers including Corncockle, Cornflower, Ox Eyed Daisies, Rocket, Mint, Sorrel , Clover Gallium Tetraxican,Viola and many others. To quote the artist: “ When you move through a landscape does it move through you? This is a question I return to again and again. Meadow does not answer the question but slips through the space between a question and an answer.” :: Moving Meadow