How did bottled water become so popular in the first place? Should the tax payers who protect land and water share the profits of those who pump and sell that resource? How is water different from such resources as oil, trees or fishing? What is water bottling actually doing to the environment & to local communities? Is it ethical to profit from the sale of water? If we believe water is a basic human right such as freedom from persecution or equality before the law then why would we let anyone slap a bar code on water?Is it narcissism that pulls people into stores the second they feel thirsty or is it the need for emotional succor? Is bottle water our modern day security blanket? Are large scale commercial extractors compromising the amount or the purity of the water that’s left and who will make that determination? If every action in the eco system is an impact then is it measurable or significant? Are water projects worthwhile? Why should we waste money on bottled water? Should water be a commodity? Why should water be free? Why is it different from food which we also need to live or shelter? Are bottle water companies subverting democracy? Who’s hand do you want on the tap? As clean water grows scarce who is going to own it and who is going to control it? Do we want multination companies to control something so important? Where did all the water go? Will governments be able to afford upgrades? If the United Nation deems water a basic human right what does that actually mean?Who should be doing the protecting of water? Are multinational companies looking to control democratic cities & towns? So what can we do? Why does saving water matter if reservoirs are full? Does it make sense to grow water intensive rice in the arid west? Can industries use recycled water? What’s the big concern? So what do you drink? How do I know if I should be suspicious of my water? If citizens no longer control their most basic resource their water do they control anything at all? Who will make the decisions that will affect our future and who will be excluded? How come a six-pack of bottled water costs more that a gallon of gasoline? Why doesn’t anybody fix the broken water fountains? What’s this about shipping water out of the great lakes in Asia? Why is a US company managing water in Iraq? How are corporations turning water into an asset to be bought & sold? How do corporations intend to spend the profits from the flows? Why don’t we give it a second thought? Are we now basically seeing the issue of human rights versus corporation rights? Should we let market principles dictated water? Should utilities operate as enterprises? Is there any such thing as excess water? How did bottle water become so popular over tap?
Does bottle water fill a perceived need for convenience? Is bottled water popular because like Individual cell phones & iPod’s it’s private & portable? Is bottled water valuable because it has a substantial shelf life? Is Bottled water an absolute critical lifesaver in many natural disasters? Is Bottled water is a significant contributor to actual water problems? Does Bottled water fit the excellent advertising medium by conveying a sense of wholesomeness? Which product would you rather have a child in your care consume several servings of each day? Why support a campaign to demonize the healthiest of these products? Is Bottled Water Always the Enemy? Do we buy bottled water because it's healthy?

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Proposed work

The work titled surge is concerned with Floating Landfill and our cultural conditioning to bottle water.

surge is  intended to be a series of experiences, the urge to ask questions. The actions are not fixed but develop over time.

surge  – Engaged questioning allows everyone involved their own experience. The end is significant not by itself but as an integrated process instrumental to all parts. The varied parts are invited together into one experience.
  • Community & School Screenings: Addicted to Plastic
  • Collection sites for used water bottles
  • Coolum State High Senior Art Students - workshop
  • surge – the artwork installation along Coolum Boardwalk or foreshore
  • surge blog – records the process in its entirety and presents 'two sides of the same coin' conversation
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