In honor of World Rivers Day we sent the Shuttle Splash Sack down the Salmon River with 15 artists to let their creativity and love of the outdoors run wild.
"The rhythm of a river trip is simple - pack up camp, float down stream, set up a new camp. But for Idea Camp on the river, we filled lunch stops and evenings with creative workshops, activities and games designed to help us return to play, unblock creativity and unleash our silliest and wildest selves." - Kika Macfarlane, Artist & Trip Host
Our roots on the river run deep — all the way back to dory boat captains who took their wooden vessels down class five rapids before tough rubber boats became the new norm. We are lovers of the time-honored tradition of river running and pack rafting, but every once in a while a new crop of water bugs break the mold and redefines a river trip in a way that reconnects us to what rafting is all about. If we could distill it down to the essentials, it's the fast-paced energy and in-the-moment thinking that working with the river flow demands, the transformative perspective of the scenery that river trips afford us, and of course the camaraderie of hanging with your chums. Kika Macfarlane and Tala Schlossberg of Idea Camp brought all of this to the surface as they hosted 15 artists down the 78-mile-long "main" stretch of the Salmon River in Idaho's Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness — the largest uninterrupted wilderness in the lower 48 states. After shoving off from the Corn Creek boat ramp, they didn't see another road or vehicle for 6 days.
"The river comes with a very specific set of art making constraints- you have to be ok with anything you make getting wet and sandy, the precision of our pens and brushes is limited by the movement of the boat, and even at camp in the evenings, the darkness acts as a kind of natural timer. The result is that artists are forced to take a looser approach to creating art since we have less control over the output. And in a lot of ways this was really freeing. Making art on the river was a reminder that it is ok to let go, and that sometimes the final output can be more special with a bit of co-collaboration from the elements." - Tala Schlossberg, Artist & Trip Host
Each day of the trip had a theme: Plunge, Pour, Deep End, Flow, and Soak. On launch day, artists took the "plunge" into the unknown, exploring the process of making art outside their comfort zone. Day two they took inspiration from their surroundings and the "pouring in" of new ideas, information, and skills from the outside world. Deep End was a day for reflection during a tranquil stretch of the river, using the quiet to tap into the inner voice to guide the art practice. By the time they settled into a rhythm, it was day 4, and the theme was Flow where the artists channeled the quicker flow of the river to make short-form artwork. On the last day, they "soaked" up the special community they had built. Our Shuttle Splash Sacks were along for every part of the ride, ensuring that art supplies stayed safe and dry.
"When the artists arrived at the beginning of the trip, everyone was gifted a Chums Splash Sack full of art supplies- a personal creativity kit to keep with them throughout the week. We are so grateful for these bags because they made it possible to have our art supplies with us throughout the day, and are responsible for the quantity of amazing art that was produced while floating down the river. It was fun to watch the different ways that people chose to decorate their splash sacks throughout the trip- many of the bags left the trip covered in fun doodles and scenes from the river. It was also amazing to have the eyewear retainers to keep all of our sunglasses on us through rapids, jumping off of bridges, and down our homemade slip and slide!" - Kika MacFarlane, Artist and Trip Host
