Hive NYC member Eyebeam Art & Technology Centre is currently hosting Surface Tension: New York-The Future of Water, a traveling exhibition that originated at the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin. The show examines water through several lenses–health, resources, commodity and spiritual. Wired magazine describes the show as follows:
Surface Tension brings together artists, engineers and scientists who submitted their pieces to an open call from the Science Gallery. The result of this crowdsourcing method is a wide range of artworks, prototypes and ways to interpret and visualize the water crisis. The chosen works don’t just look at water as a resource — for instance, there’s a piece focused on Irish holy wells that are said to have healing powers.
As I toured the exhibit I couldn’t help but think that this show embodies similar themes and interests of Hive Learning Network. It uses a combination of art, technology and design to raise issues of social justice and environmental stewardship, while also having been curated in a crowd-sourced/networked fashion. Throughout the show’s run (until August 11th) they have a full-time educator doing tours/workshops and other outreach. Her name is Sarah Quinn and she would love to hear from Hive NYC educators, youth and other constituents who might want to interact with the show. Please reach out to her directly if interested (sarah.quinn “at” sciencegallery “dot” com)
Sarah asked me to highlight Mary Coble’s provocative piece, SOURCE, that deals with various levels of water quality around the globe and is also participatory in concept. The basic idea is that visitors bring a sample of drinking water from their locale and answer a brief questionnaire to help Mary gain a sense of participants’ general knowledge about water source. The samples should be delivered to Eyebeam before the 25th of July for her performance piece on the 28th of July. It’s a great way for youth to be introduced through participation to the various issues surrounding the future of water. More about the piece here:
In a one-day performance that mimes the near Sysyphean acts of daily water collection in the developing world, Coble will lift and pour these samples into a fountain that continuously filters the water. At the end of the performance, water from all over the city, now in this central source, will be available to gallery visitors to drink for the rest of the exhbition period. Source (New York) is the continuation of a project, first run in Washington DC in 2010, then in Dublin in 2011, which aims to raise social awareness about water quality and availability in local and global communities. Through the process of water collection, Coble engages communities in conversation that address economic, ecological and health issues related to the commercialization and commoditisation of water.
Here are some additional resources regarding this exciting exhibit:
We’d love to hear from anyone who is able to participate! Please share your feedback and experiences in comments.
