The Los Angeles River of today was created in order to negotiate a conflict between the natural and the man made forces. In its very intricate and distinct history the river transformed from a mesmerizing object of beauty, which led to the foundation of a city, to an unpredictable and predatory beast* which had to be confined in a concrete path. Yet no river is inherently destructive; it all depends on what is placed in its path and how the risk is managed. The channel: the captured space between the ground above and the river below lays barren, unoccupied and uninhabited. Yet it has an inherent beauty, which ties it into the city it lies in.

The Institute of Radical River preservation strives to explore the beauty of this man made channeled river, preserving its splendors and unraveling new possibilities. Through a controlled manipulation of the channel itself, the original function is transformed to accommodate new potential programs, hence optimizing the use of the river. The hermetically sealed nature of the channel is challenged and altered to facilitate the sprouting of new eco systems and to engage the public with the river.