Still the River was a participatory art and reflection project initiated by Gluon in collaboration with the young artist collective Maleza. Through a series of workshops held aboard a boat on the Brussels canal, the project invited citizens to reconsider the role of this urban waterway and its connection to sustainability, community, and city life.

Across four workshops in August 2025, a total of 60 participants engaged in immersive, site-based experiences directly on the canal. Combining artistic practice with environmental reflection, participants explored their personal and collective relationships to the water through creative techniques such as linocut printing and collective weaving.

The workshops fostered dialogue around key themes including urban ecology, sustainable development, and the historical transformation of the canal. Participants were encouraged to see the waterway not merely as infrastructure, but as a living, interconnected ecosystem—an approach inspired by the philosophy of Buen Vivir, which emphasizes harmony between people, nature, and community.

A central outcome of the project was the creation of a large collaborative textile map, developed through prints and stitched contributions. This artwork reflects the canal as a shared yet complex and “wounded” body, shaped by social, economic, and environmental forces. The workshops were also documented and later presented as a video installation displayed on a mycelium screen aboard the same floating venue.

By combining artistic expression, collective learning, and environmental awareness, Still the River created a space for meaningful exchange and strengthened participants’ sense of connection and responsibility towards sustainable urban water systems.