In "Confluence of Sky," the second part of the short film "Underground River," Marya Stark presents a visual and sonic meditation on the meeting of opposing elements—sky and water—through choreographed movement, original music, and cinematic storytelling. The piece draws from Stark's "Underground River" album (co-created with Daniel Berkman) and uses costume, movement, and landscape to explore themes of convergence, flow, and the interconnectedness of natural systems. This is not a conventional narrative film but rather an immersive artistic work that invites viewers into a poetic relationship with water and sky.
The "Underground River" short film is a collaborative artistic project spanning visual, sonic, and embodied expression. Part 2, "Confluence of Sky," is one chapter in a larger work that examines water in all its states and meanings—literal and metaphorical. Marya Stark serves as the executive producer and composer, working with a creative team including Jade Sanchez as creative director and choreographer, cinematographer Summit Jaffe, and co-composer Daniel Berkman. The film exists as both a standalone poetic work and as a visual complement to the "Underground River" album, released by Stark and Berkman.
The title itself—"Confluence of Sky"—suggests a merging or meeting point. In geography, a confluence is where two rivers meet; here, Stark extends the metaphor to the meeting of two elements that seem opposite: the boundless sky and the flowing water. The film uses choreography as a primary language. Rather than relying on dialogue or narrative exposition, movement becomes a way of thinking about and embodying the relationship between elements. This approach echoes contemplative and earth-based artistic traditions that recognize the body as a site of knowledge and expression, not separate from but continuous with the natural world.
The original music by Stark and Berkman provides the temporal and emotional spine of the work. Rather than underscoring action, the music and movement appear woven together, suggesting that rhythm, breath, and flow are not merely accompaniment but central to the inquiry itself. The album "Underground River," of which this film serves as a visual extension, can be understood as a sonic journey through water systems—both visible rivers and the hidden aquifers that sustain life beneath the surface.
The production credits reveal a high level of intentionality in every visual element. Jade Sanchez's role as both choreographer and editor suggests that movement and film language are inseparable in this work—how bodies move through space and how the camera frames that movement are equally important. Summit Jaffe's cinematography shapes the viewer's encounter with landscape and body. The costume designs by Silk and Earth hint at the thematic integration of garment and earth; clothing becomes part of the visual meditation rather than mere covering.
The choice to film outdoors, presumably in landscapes with rivers, sky, and natural elements, makes the setting itself a performer. The "confluence" of the title is not merely metaphorical but also literal—the viewer may encounter actual places where water and sky meet, where light and shadow play across surfaces. This situates the film in a tradition of land art and nature-based performance where the environment is not a backdrop but a collaborator.
Water appears throughout spiritual and artistic traditions as a symbol of flow, impermanence, reflection, and life-force. The "underground river" metaphor specifically suggests hidden sources—waters that nourish beneath perception. The confluence with sky could represent the cycle of water: evaporation, ascent, condensation, return. More broadly, it speaks to the meeting and mingling of different domains of existence, the way that what seems separate (earth, air, water) is in constant exchange.
By framing this encounter through artistic form rather than explanation, Stark invites viewers to a different mode of knowing. The body of the dancer, the body of the viewer watching, and the body of the earth are all present in the same sensory field. This is art as ecology—not art about nature but art that enacts or embodies natural processes through human expression.
Theo Grace's work as mixing engineer is crucial to how the viewer experiences the piece. In a work where narrative is minimal or absent, sound design becomes a primary vehicle for emotional and sensory information. The music may incorporate the actual sounds of water, wind, or other environmental elements, blurring the boundary between score and soundscape. This approach—sometimes called "acousmatic" or immersive audio design—invites the listener to occupy a space where the artificial and natural, the composed and found, merge. The listener cannot always distinguish what is performed and what is recorded from the world; this ambiguity itself may be part of the inquiry.
The film's description includes an invitation: "Sing the Rivers with Me," with a link to a workshop or participatory offering. This suggests that the film is not meant to be a passive viewing experience but rather a catalyst for engagement. Viewers are invited to move with the work, to find their own voices and bodies in relationship to water and sky. This frames art-making and film not as finished products to be consumed but as invitations to join an ongoing creative and contemplative practice. The participatory dimension extends the film's work beyond the screen into the viewer's own embodied life.
To engage more deeply with this work, listeners can explore the full "Underground River" album through streaming platforms (available via ffm.to/marya-stark-underground-river) to encounter the sonic dimensions without the visual frame. Visiting Marya Stark's website (marya-stark.com) and earthbased.media provides access to other related projects and offerings, including the workshop "Sing the Rivers with Me," which extends the invitation to embodied participation. Watching the full film (available on YouTube) offers the complete arc of the "Underground River" project across multiple parts. For those interested in the intersection of land art, somatic practice, and music composition, this work models a contemporary approach to ritual and celebration that honors both human creativity and the more-than-human world.
