Through the Eye of a River by Myriam Hombach

A 3.5 meter long book for children full of art and knowledge about the rivers of the world. Let yourself be taken on a journey to see and discover the rivers of our world with new eyes.

Through the Eye of a River is an illustrative book that tells stories of five unique rivers of the world. The illustrations show the diversity of rivers, enthuse us to explore, and teach us about the importance of ecosystems around and within rivers. The book is designed for children and teaches knowledge through art to arouse fascination and curiosity for natural rivers. And you too will rediscover the rivers of our world with this book

So be invited to a change of perspective through the river landscapes of our world.

Have you ever seen a natural river?

Rivers constantly reshape the landscape and provide habitats and a basis of life for plants, animals, sensitive organisms and, last but not least, for us humans. Today, however, most of our rivers have been straightened, dammed or impounded, and many people no longer even know what a natural river looks like.

What makes the book special?

The book combines conservation and art. Each river story is developed by a team of illustrator and expert. In this way, the potentials and threats of the last free-flowing waters on our planet and their uniqueness are emphasized through individual drawing styles and local knowledge.
Children and young people are not only given the opportunity to get to know the different perspectives of the living creatures on and within the river, they are also taught about the human relationship to rivers.
Thus, the exploration of rivers in our book is guaranteed to be full of variety.

Because the stories are told through drawings, the book has no language or demographic barriers.

Concept of the book:

3.5 meters river experience!

The book is a long, fold-out paper band with 3.5 meters front and back each. The layout is designed to resemble a free-flowing, undisturbed river.
The publication contains five varied river stories. Unfold the book and five drawn stories of selected river systems of the world unfold before you.
When folded, the book can be stowed away on a bookshelf, but it can also be used in its full length. It is designed not only for personal use, but can also be used as a creative educational book for schools and workshops for environmental education and conservation. 

We are a team working on a voluntary basis. All the money will therefore go exclusively into the project. We would like to compensate the illustrators for their work with an expense allowance, this sum is our first milestone. The rest of the money will be used exclusively for the printing costs and distribution of the books. We also want to support a local, sustainable printing company (in Wien, Austria) and have the books printed on recycled paper.

We thank you for your donation, which makes this project possible.

In case we don’t reach the funding goal, we already have several funding applications in mind, through which we might be able to get the necessary funds together. Therefore, we can guarantee that your money will be used only for this project.

Worldwide, there are fewer and fewer free-flowing and natural rivers. Yet rivers, with their undisturbed dynamics, are hotspots of biodiversity and essential for many living beings. Rivers play a central role in the Earth’s water cycle as surface runoff on land. They are responsible for sediment transport from source to mouth and act as nutrient providers along the river course. They therefore provide many ecosystem services such as drinking water supply or recreation, and with their flood zones they contribute to flood protection.

In view of the current biodiversity crisis, i.e. the increased loss of animal and plant species and the accompanying loss of diversity, it is important to carry out educational work that raises awareness of environmental protection and nature conservation.

The book shows on the one hand the beauty and importance of natural rivers and on the other hand the threats to these ecosystems and the urgency to work for the preservation of the last free-flowing rivers. With this book, we want to give children and young people a connection to our rivers, let them experience the course of a river from the point of view of a fish, bird or the river itself. The book shows the value of natural rivers and the importance of their protection in a child-friendly way.

We, that are Andrina, Maximilian and Myriam, would like to realize the book Through the Eye of a River with your help. We got to know each other through our shared fascination for rivers. Since our meeting at the “Students for River Camp” in winter 2020, we are not only connected by this project, but also by a growing friendship. Not only do we have a close relationship with rivers, but we also have experience in implementing publications, educational outreach, and environmental conservation.

The implementation of this book project offers us an exciting task with the goal of conveying expert knowledge through art in a way that is suitable for children. We see in the book the potential to contribute to the protection and preservation of rivers, the veins of life.

Andrina Janicke, B.Sc. Earth Sciences, Geologist/Glaciologist, Kayak teacher

My name is Andrina, I am 27 years old and I spend a lot of time with my kayak in the river.

Maximilian Gallo, B.A. Cultural Studies, Student of Architecture

I am Maximilian Gallo, studying architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and I am committed to holistic sustainable thinking in building and conservation.

Myriam Hombach, M.Sc. Geoecology, 27 years old

My name is Myriam and I work in an engineering office for river restoration. I also spend a lot of time in the water in my spare time playing underwater rugby.

Our international team is made up of illustrators and local experts from Chile to Austria, which not only makes our work interesting, but also creates the basis for the change of perspective that we want to implement in the book. Our scientific expertise ranges from hydraulic engineering, ecology, geology, glaciology to local experts like fishermen and environmental activists.

The illustrators:

• Johanna Wögerbauer – Austria
• Philipp Pamminger – Austria
• Amy Dunis – UK
• Lukas Vogl – Austria
• Antonia Lara G. – Chile

The project was developed during the “Students for River Camp” organized by the “River Collective”. The “River Collective” is a network of students, researchers and activists who are connected by their individual relationship to rivers. The Students for Rivers Camp is a week-long gathering where students, with support from the network, create interdisciplinary projects to protect rivers. The project implementation has the overall goal to protect the few remaining free-flowing rivers in Europe and worldwide. In our project, the River Collective continues to support us in terms of content and organization.

We would like to thank all those who have supported us so far.

only through a shared awareness of the beauty and threats to our environment, can we work to protect it.