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'Nith scoping is a new and activity I
have invented to provide people in Dumfries with an
exciting experience of their river from a perspective from which it
is seldom seen. It addresses the challenge and struggle we can have in trying
to understand and engage with natural forces (such as rivers) which we no
longer have an industrial use for or much control of. In the case of the Nith in
Dumfries, the river bed is one of the most talked of topics in the town, not
because most people have actually seen it, but because it lies at the heart of
strongly held dredging debate. It is trapped invisibly between those who want
it to be removed to solve the towns enduring flooding problems and
environmental groups and geologists who work to protect its essential
biodiversity. In my attempt to understand this debate further I was troubled by
a question; surely it is more meaningful to debate something we can actually
look at? several adapted pieces of piping, magnifying lens, some recycled
bicycle inner tubes, duck tape, truck tarpaulin and empty water bottles later,
this has become possible…'
