Notes on La Rivière et Le Bulldozer

Created: Thu May 29 2025 02:00:00 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)

The book is written by Matthieu Duperrex, an artist and philosopher based in France.

Chapter 1: Minéral, Vous Avez Dit Minéral?

What can the examination and knowledge of the movement and lost of soil and tell us about our current geological condition.

Sets up the Anthroposcene and that there's still no official designation of this term with the International Union of Geological Sciences. Term coined by Paul Crutzen in 2000. The question, is why hasn't it been designated as an official term when there are clear signs of how human technology and systems have been incorporated into Earth, and in effect, changing it's geology.

Mineral order is the "poor parent" or as I always like to say when someone is the outcast, "Poor Michelle" of the anthroposcene or philosophy.

Author asks, what does it mean to sediment? To think about it as an action in relation to the sediements of water and soil. The question sets up the rest of the book and this is the framework he's working in.

Thoughts

At what catastrophic point will it take for the term to be official. We have micro-plastics in our water which then in turns goes into our bodies.

Why does it matter for an official designation?

• To bring awareness to the general public. If people are aware and it becomes official, then it could lead to concern and action.
• It can lead to further funding and research about the effects of the Anthroposcene.
• Like all geological periods, it gives insights to how Earth was formed. Should it not be important in the history of Earth to have this documented?

Minerals and soil - Will keep an active look out when looking for projects and texts around this to see if Dupprexx's statement about it being the poor one of the AS. From what I've seen, there are exhibitions around the sun and water, but nothing for minerals and soil from an anthroposcene perspective.

Chapter 2: Méditation des Rives

What makes up rivers with examples from glaciers making river beds, to humans intervening in shaping and re-shaping environments, scientifically through chemistry and also our anthrpocentric impact.

Rivers being a source for drinking and in contrast to the bottle water. The bottle water being a plastic that then gets re-introduced into the environment. Micro-plastics are now part of the ecosystem and human bodies. Reminds me of the project The Sentinel Self by Sissel Marie Tonn.

My takeway is that the author is still trying to make an argument for the anthroposcene with the story about the Japanese oyster farm and trying to get the area to be re-forested so that leaves that decompose in the river can supply nutrients to oyster. Also mentioning that each galacier period informs the rivers, which also our human impact, our change, the anthrposcene is also impacting rivers.

Chapter 3: Nos Empreintes dans la Vase

Continuing with the theme of our impact on nature, but now from a storytelling point of view with examples from an art project to historical accounts. And also from our intervention on rivers such as designing Niagara Falls.

Terms

• Liquid story by historian John Burns.
• Wild artefacts by archeologist Matt Edgeworth.
• Organic machine by environmental historian Richard White.

Thoughts

I started to document objects in the Rhône river and along its shore. Surprisingly there are bikes. On a clear sunny day, can spot them in the river from the viaduct. Question, why would someone throw these bikes into the river?

Along the shore after the Arve becomes the Rhône, there is a rusty bike with seashells.

Another distinction in water with French. Cascade and chute d'eau are both translated to waterfall and French, they are waterfalls too but they have differences. Cascade, like the name suggets in English, are waterfalls that have a step-like formation and often describes an aesthetic quality of being picturesque. While chute d'eau means large and powerful waterfalls.

Chapter 4: Naissance de la Civilisation Sédimentaire

Thoughts

Reading this chapter, I made a stronger connection to the author's question from Chapter 1 to view the verb to sediment to be an action when he talks about humans transition to being inside and moving away from being hunter and gathers. In contrast to our contemporary life as being sedimentary beings, the sedimentary civiization Duperrex talks about is our transition to being inside, moving away from being a predator but building community and culture because we don't have to focus on just surviving.

Haven't mentioned yet, but there are technical diagrams in each chapter of an invention. These inventions can give clue to what the author is trying talk about

Bibliography

DUPERREX, Matthieu, 2022. La rivière et le bulldozer. Paris : PP, Premier Parallèle. La vie des choses. ISBN 978-2-85061-130-8.