This animation and installation was made in Belgrade, as a response to my interest in and experience of water in the city. Belgrade is situated at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers; the rivers both join and divide the different sides of Belgrade life, the new from the old, the war torn to the newly constructed.

The large volume of water flowing through the city, both from the rivers and from a multitude of public fountains in the city was fascinating to me. In South Africa, particularly in Johannesburg, water is scarce and precious and drought is an ever-pending possibility. The excess and celebration of water in Belgrade was a stark contrast and a welcome change. Each public fountain I came across was different and unique, from ancient-looking drinking fountains that are still an integral part of the pedestrian life, to modern sprays of gushing water that shoot in all directions.

I expressed this experience of water through a stop frame animation, in which small red plastic cups filled with water move through a street in Belgrade, from a drinking fountain to a gallery where work from a group residency was exhibited. For me, this symbolized my own synthetic river in Belgrade, one that would excite the pedestrians and artists moving through the street. The animation shows the life of people and animals in the space, and the movement of time and light in a day in the city.

This work was the winner of the Gerard Sekoto prize at the Absa L'Atelier Exhibition in 2007.