Walking Backwards
Fiona Murphy was commissioned by Powerhouse to write this essay for The River, a series of new writing and photography responding to the landscape, communities and histories surrounding the Parramatta River.
Walking Backwards
i.
‘Have you ever heard of the Kawa Model?’ asks a friend over lunch.
We are camped on a set of wobbly chairs in the corner of a cafe. Outside there is a constant rumble of traffic along Enmore Road. My elbows are crooked and resting on the sticky tabletop, my body is pitched forwards so I can closely watch Shirley’s face as she talks.
‘No, what is it?’
Shirley explains that kawa is the Japanese word for river. Pushing her plate aside, she pulls up an image on her phone. It is a diagram of a river drawn at a cross-section, so our point of view is as though we are submerged.
‘The river is a way of conceptualising life,’ says Shirley. ‘The model was developed by Japanese occupational therapists as a tool to help people navigate difficult conversations, make plans, solve problems or put things into context.’
Within the belly of the river there are boulders and branches stacked at sharp, rakish angles.
‘The boulders are the obstacles or challenges someone might experience,’ explains Shirley. ‘The driftwood represents influencing factors. Such as someone’s personality, mood, temperament. And those tiny spaces between the boulders and driftwood are the opportunities for enhancing your life’s flow.’
