Ohio's Cuyahoga
River has long maintained the dubious distinction of igniting the U.S. environmental
movement in 1969. This fire, however, was unremarkable in its intensity and
singularity—for a number of industrial-age waterways (over the course
of more than a century) have episodically burst into flames. The Cuyahoga
is a generally more tranquil river today, but the remnants of its intensively
industrialized past still soberly operate along its shores. This video examines
the modest decorum and monumental grace of these remaining waterside enterprises.
(CUYAHOGA © 2009, running time: 8.5 minutes.)