The Effects of Industrialization

This Tryptich was created by the New England Mosaic Society as a gift to the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, coordinated by Emily Bhargava. The New England Mosaic Society (NEMS) collaborated with the staff of the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation to design and create three large panels (42” x 68”) installed adjacent to the museum entrance on the Riverway. The designs explore the positive and negative impacts of industrialization on the Charles River and the surrounding landscape over the last four centuries. The final project was a gift from NEMS to the museum and includes the work of over 100 sets of volunteer hands: skilled mosaic artisans, craftspeople, and community members.

Panel#1 represents the pre-industrial period of the 1600s. The animals and plants in and around the river are native to New England, and local Native American textile patterns are incorporated into the hills. The river is pristine.

Panel #2 portrays the height of the mill operation in the 1800’s when industrialization had altered the environment, the health of the river, and the experience of workers and residents. The patterns in the hills change, and fields are woven by a mechanized loom. On the left you can see a cut-away of a mill that used the river’s water to power its machinery. There are fewer plants and animals, and the river and sky are changed by industrial waste and pollution.

Panel #3 represents the current, post-industrial environment with both the detritus of former pollution and habitat destruction, and the authentic efforts of sanitation and environmental conservation. Ecologists lobby for environmental cleanup.  There is manufacturing debris in the hills (including parts from Waltham watches!), and invasive non-native species. You’ll notice that the soil beneath the cabin is filled with sewage and freshwater delivery systems, representing the built infrastructure that continues to serve us, with the canoe representing an upsurge in river recreation.  Two protest signs symbolize strong public interest and political will funneled toward environmental stewardship of the river.

This project was supported in part by the  Waltham cultural council and  the Massachusetts Cultural Council.