Raising Awareness Creatively through Public Participation
The future of water is uncertain. Climate change, pollution, privatization, and wasteful agricultural and industrial practices are impacting both the quality and the quantity of our water supply. The amount of available clean water is diminishing as the demands of a growing population are increasing. These trends must change, but in order for them to change, the public needs to be informed. The mission of Art for Water is to raise awareness of the shrinking availability of clean water through hands-on participation in the creation of art installations. Art for Water engages participants with talks on the global water crisis and opportunities to help produce professional art installations using recycled, clear plastic water bottle caps. When the installations are completed, they are exhibited in galleries, museums, and other public venues.
The first project created by Art for Water is 13,699. In this installation, one recycled, clear plastic water bottle cap represents each person who dies every day from preventable, water-related diseases because he or she does not have access to clean water. Hundreds of volunteers from high schools, colleges, and the public strung tens of thousands of bottle caps with monofilament. The lines of caps were hung with “s” hooks from a metal grid creating a
10' x 10' x 8' fluid cube in which one enters to experience physically the magnitude of this humanitarian crisis.
Working on an Art for Water group project gives rise to conversation and debate about what we as individuals can do to change our personal water use habits. Using art to raise awareness exposes participants to the option of creative expression as a path to social change. Oftentimes taken for granted–– understanding water’s essential nature is deepened by the experience of working on an Art for Water project.
For more information about Art for Water or to schedule an Art for Water event, please contact Christine Destrempes at cdestrempes@myfairpoint.net or 603-827-3744.
Art for Water is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in support of Art for Water may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
