An etching by William Heath depicting a woman dropping her tea-cup in horror upon discovering the monstrous contents found in a magnified drop of Thames water. In the nineteenth century, sewage and waste contaminated the River Thames in London, making it a prime source of water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.
From Wellcome Collection via Cabinet Magazine issue 44
Waste water often contains residue of different substances flushed out of homes. In the area of Puget Sound, a team from the University of Washington found traces of spices and flavourings in the sound’s inland waterways – artificial vanilla being the most pronounced of all the flavours. On average, the team found an about six milligrams of vanilla per litre in the water sampled.
Click here to read about more substances found in water!
This visual blog presents images and projects related to the WATERSHED+ art program.
WATERSHED+ is a public art program hosted by City of Calgary's department of Utilities and Environment Protection.
WATERSHED+ aims to develop awareness and pleasure in the environment, not by changing water management practice, nor developing a uniform visual language, but rather by creating a climate of opportunity for water initiatives to build an emotional connection between people and the watershed.
WATERSHED+ presents a unique approach to public art by embedding artists and artistic practices within UEP core activities, participating as members on infrastructure design teams, contributing to project design, development of events, community education, etc.
You can visit us at:
watershedplus.ca
This program was devised by Sans façon (Charles Blanc & Tristan Surtees) with a team composed of Matt Baker, Emlyn Firth, Yan Olivares of Yes Architectes, Eric Laurier and Bert van Duin.
