WATER CONVERSATIONS: PAANI BACHAO!

ANNA MACLEOD, CAROL HUMMEL

Water Conversations is an ongoing project that posits a ubiquitous poster image from Dublin into public spaces in varying global locations to examine attitudes to water as an element for life. Initially inspired by a ‘conserve water‘ image produced by Dublin City Council and shown on LED screens on the major traffic arteries into Dublin City during January and February of 2010, the ‘Paani Bachao’ (Hindi for ‘save water‘) poster image seeks to explore the agency of an image operating in public spaces across diverse communities, and provide a locus for transcultural discursive exchange about an essential global question. This single image ignited countless discussions and conversations in a diverse range of locations and communities, all around the issue of water conservation. In the project, water becomes an emotive tool to discuss personal histories and innovative ideas associated with water. The public interventions of the ‘Paani Bachao’ poster are continually reconfigured and informed by the specifics of the location, be it an academic forum, public street, water pumping station, or artisan colony.