From June 29 through September 28th, Z33 in Hasselt, Belgium will host a provocative exhibition entitled “1% Water”, featuring various artists and designers commenting on both the medium and the message. Here’s the pitch:
“1% WATER IS AN EXPLORATION OF OUR RELATION TO WATER, THE IDEAS THAT ARE SHAPING CURRENT CHANGE AND HOW THIS IS BEING TRANSLATED INTO EXPERIMENTAL ENVIRONMENTS, DESIGNS AND CONCEPTS THAT ARE SHAPING A NEW WATER CONSCIOUSNESS. ALTHOUGH 70% OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE IS WATER, THE EXHIBITION TITLE 1% WATER REFERS TO THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT IS ACTUALLY AVAILABLE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. FACTORS SUCH AS THE WORLD’S RAPIDLY GROWING POPULATION AND OUR INCREASING CONSUMPTION, CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTION MEAN THAT EVEN THIS RELATIVELY LIMITED AND UNEVENLY DISTRIBUTED RESOURCE IS UNDER THREAT. WATER–ONE OF OUR BASIC NEEDS–HAS BECOME A CRITICAL ISSUE. THE WORLD BANK PREDICTS, “IF THE WARS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY WERE FOUGHT OVER OIL, THE WARS OF THIS CENTURY WILL BE FOUGHT OVER WATER.” WHILE WATER IS BOTH ESSENTIAL TO OUR EXISTENCE AND A PORTAL TO OUR DREAMS, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A DANGEROUSLY NEGLIGENT ATTITUDE TO EARTH’S DIMINISHING RESOURCES THAT IS NO LONGER SUSTAINABLE. THE PERSONAL BOND THAT ONCE CONNECTED HUMANS WITH THE SOURCE OF LIFE HAS BEEN BROKEN. 1% WATER AIMS TO BE A CATALYST FOR CHANGE, RECONNECTING US PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY TO WATER AND HELPING US TO SHAPE A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.”
The exhibition explores themes such as AbUse, Sacred Waters and Reconnect through works by artists such as Atelier van Lieshout, Brandon Ballengée, Elina Brotherus, Edward Burtynsky, Amy Jenkins, Michaela Nettell and Studio Orta, designers such as &Made, Doshi Levien and Fulguro & TJAW and graphic designers Karlssonwilker, as well as key historic pieces.
Analysis:
The “1% water” was an interest approach in tackling the issue with water and the availability of it for human consumption. By introducing the problem to different artist, many solutions and creative exploration were illustrated. This method of experimenting in creative ways is something I would like to explore in my design process.
