Wherever There is Water - Night Procession April 24, 2010

The Fleisher Art Memorial is proud to present Wherever There Is Water, a night procession of illuminated sculpture through the streets of South Philly on Saturday, April 24th. The parade will depart from Fleisher at 7:45 PM and wind its way through the neighborhood. The procession is the culminating project of Fleisher's current artist-in-residence, George Ferrandi. It will feature a lit paper menagerie of lions, dogs, rabbits, squirrels and many other woodland creatures amidst cast paper representations of their respective landscapes. An illuminated boat will maneuver around glowing icebergs as luminescent jellyfish float by, and the Fleisher Memorial Choir will accompany the creatures singing songs of the story they tell.

The objects in the procession are based on the adventures of Philadelphia residents as told to Ferrandi in a series of “tea parties” held in the early stages of her residency at Fleisher. In the procession, images from these true stories combine to tell part of a fictional story Ferrandi is writing about an elderly woman, named Huberta. Huberta and her husband had lived on Coney Island forever, but their adult children worried about their aging parents' ability to care for themselves. Against their will, but beyond their control, the old couple is separated — the mother is taken to live with her daughter in Florida, and the father is taken to live with his son in Maine. Before being shuffled off, the old man tells his wife not to worry, that he'll be with her “wherever there is water.” The night procession recreates Huberta's very epic journey from one body of water to the next in an effort to find her way back to her old life and love. She encounters many heroes and villains along the way, and tackles her challenges armed only with her trusty pocketbook and her bunny slippers.

The parade route is as follows: From Fleisher - going South on 8th Street to Wharton. 8th and Wharton to 3rd and Wharton. North to 3rd and Catharine. West on Catharine to Fleisher.