21.10.11 - 20.01.12
SURFACE TENSION:THE FUTURE OF WATER
The future of water is the subject of tension. Water is both disposable and sacred, a muse for artists and a necessity for life – a source of healing and of conflict. The Earth has abundant water, but only a very small proportion is available for human use. How should this be managed and sustained, and what would a water-scarce future look like?
SURFACE TENSION brings together work by artists, designers, engineers and scientists to explore the future of water, playing on its physical properties, its role in politics and economics, and ways in which it may be harnessed, cleaned, and distributed.
Curators
RALPH BORLAND - South African designer
MICHAEL JOHN GORMAN - Founding Director of Science Gallery.
BRUCE MISSTEAR - Adjunct Associate Professor, Civil Struct & Env. Eng. TCD
JANE WITHERS - leading design consultant, curator, and writer.
Highlights
Exhibits
The simple, manually operated suction hand-pump provides an essential lifeline for millions…
Water Conversations is an ongoing project that posits a ubiquitous poster image from Dublin into public spaces in varying global locations…
Water Catchers portrays people gathering water from various artesian wells in the Midwest United States.
Water-related diseases account for the majority of premature deaths in sub-Saharan Africa…
Responding to a challenge by ‘Visualizing.org’ to produce compelling visualisations of urban water data…
In this work, the artist Taegon Kim explores the difficulty he has in communicating with people he does not know well.
The artist Mary Coble will collect samples of tap water from over 100 residential and commercial sites across Dublin…
The Efteq Intelligent Water Meter is an example of a ‘water management device’ or ‘prepaid meter’ from South Africa.
PowerTrekk is a pocket-size, lightweight charger for users who spend time away from the electrical grid.
Situated on Venice Beach, Los Angeles Hydroscape is an architectural proposition…
HighWaterLine Dublin is an interactive exploration of the effects of climate change on the future of Dublin.