Nebraska: Flatwater

In the Indigenous Chiwere language—spoken by the Missouria, Otoe, and Iowa peoples of the North American plains—Ñí Brásge means “flat water.” To the Omaha, it’s Ní Btháska. The word is the basis for what we know most commonly as Nebraska, a broad state almost perfectly centered in the contiguous United States. Its verdant eastern hills are home to expansive agriculture, and the high plains in the west cradle badlands formations that continually erode within the grasslands.

Throughout this vast swath of land, rivers and streams flow for nearly 80,000 miles. Ñí Brásge describes the Platte River, which flows across the entire state. It can be very wide along its hundreds of miles and its tributaries but also very shallow and filled with sandbars that are inviting for migrating birds. To the northwest, the Sandhills are home to the Niobrara River, and the mighty Missouri River forms the state’s eastern boundary. For filmmaker Adam Larsen, the state’s incredible geography forms the foundation of the project Nebraska: Flatwater, produced by Gallery 1516 and made in collaboration with cinematographers Stephen Earnhart and Scott Drickey. The work is now on view at the Museum of Nebraska Art.

Nebraska is one of many Midwestern states that has long been seen by those on the coasts as “flyover country.” That’s a designation Midwesterners both bristle at and embrace. On one hand, it implies that a place is “less than,” somehow—not worthy of being a destination in its own right—and on the other, it remains a land less trodden with a distinctive culture that, for better or worse, is mostly left to its own devices. Folks often prefer that things stay the way they are. The natural environment comprises as much of its character as its people, and it’s anyone’s loss who doesn’t respect the region’s seasonal vicissitudes.

I’ve driven the gentle wave-like route of Interstate 80 more times than I can count. It loosely follows the path of the Platte, and I’ve imagined all of the road trippers, farm trucks, semis, and U-hauls flowing along this corridor continuously, much like the water itself. The last time I made the drive it was late February, and migrating birds like white pelicans and ducks filled the sky in numbers I had never witnessed before. It was the scale that struck me, and also how little one really sees from the road. To truly understand Nebraska, one needs to get far off the main drag. And for Larsen, who is based in Asheville, the meadows, badlands, and rivers of Nebraska, along with its wildlife, are the muse for his large-scale documentary projection.

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.

          —Willa Cather

Over a two-year period, Larsen, Drickey, and Earnhart traveled around the state during all four seasons. Meditative images of flowing streams and sunrises are interspersed with quotes by historical Nebraska luminaries like Willa Cather, Ponca Chief Standing Bear, and prominent Algonquin figure Big Thunder (Bedagi). While the work showcases the state’s at times otherworldly beauty, it also highlights its biodiversity and its wildlife. Bison, the largest herd of which roams the Sandhills, is a nod to the region’s past, too. Within the historical context of the American buffalo being nearly completely obliterated in the 19th century, the growing herd is a venerable success.

Nebraska: Flatwater is projected onto a number of screens in a large-scale, immersive panorama.”The resulting project surrounds viewers with scenes of the vibrant landscape, accompanied by music and writings by Nebraska artists and cultural leaders, past and present,” the museum says.

Nebraska: Flatwater continues through October 8 in Kearney. ✧

Header image by Adam Larsen. Installation images courtesy of Gallery 1516, Omaha. All images courtesy of Adam Larsen, Scott Drickey, and Stephen Earnhart, shared with permission