Minna Rothman (USA / Yugoslavia) – Deeper Roots
The River Danube is the second largest river in Europe. On the way from its source in the Black Forest to its delta in the Black Sea, it passes through ten countries. Its sizeable water basin makes it navigable along the most of its length, making it a traditional traveling route for humans since prehistoric times. The archeological evidence of the earliest human settlements on the river banks of the Danube has been traced to the Neolithic period.
My city of origin, Belgrade, is located on the banks of the confluence of the river Sava, whose flow merges with the Danube. The Danube is already quite a sizeable river at that point, but confluence with the Sava’s water illuminates its majestic presence.
A few river islands are notable at the confluence, covered with a dense growth of deciduous trees. The rapid waterflow of the Danube slows down around the islands, making water swimmable and almost still in the winter. My tapestry depicts one such river corner from the remembrance of my childhood.
My relationship with the Danube is a personal one. Presently I live in the USA, but my roots are on the banks of the Danube. Every time I visit the city of my birth, I see the river flowing as it has always been. I see what a speck of time my life is compared to the lifetime of the river. And I see the lives of my ancestors travelling up and down this river, in war and peace, in famine and abundance, in adventure and forced migration … All their lives were short like mine when compared to the life of the Danube. Yet, our lives continue together with the life of the river. Their knowledge and experiences are part of my genetic code. The true roots of my existence are in the flow of the River Danube just like the roots of the trees on the river