Citizen Water Map Lab @ Common Ground Festival – Lower Hutt

When: Sat 25 Feb – Sat 4 Mar

Where: 152 High Street, Central City Arcade, Lower Hutt.

Calling all Wellington KCC members!

Citizen Water Map Lab is a participative artwork being developed by Julian Priest, with Robert Laking, for the upcoming Common Ground Festival in Lower Hutt.

Citizens of the Wellington region are asked to collect together groundwater from sources in the Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata (like Hutt River, streams, inlets and ponds) to be tested.

The data gathered from these tests will not only tell us more about the quality of our fresh water but also form the basis of the artwork!

200 programmable LED’s will be laid out on the floor in space to represent the various water sources. Water samples will be placed on top, and then lit up with different colours, depending on how clean and safe – or dirty and dangerous – the water is.

How do you contribute?

Get together some 2L plastic milk bottles (disinfected beforehand, and one per water source), and fill them up at freshwater locations in the Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata. Write on the bottle with a permanent marker where your water is from (to help avoid mix-ups down the line).

Once collected, deliver your water samples before or during the week of the Festival to the front desk at The Dowse Art Museum, where they will be catalogued. You will provide some basic contact details and info about your water source(s).

Contributors will also book a time with Julian and Robert to conduct tests on the water during the Festival. There are six testing sessions per day, between 11am-4pm. The practice of testing the water, as much as the results, is part of this work of art.

For more information about Citizen Water Map Lab and Common Ground Festival: commongroundfestival.org.nz/portfolio/citizen-water-map-lab/.

You can also get in touch with Robert (one of the artists) on 0212 936 147 or at rglaking@gmail.com with any questions.

We are looking for KCC Reporters to cover this event

If you are interested, we suggest that you go through the process of delivering some water, and booking a time for testing, so that you can write/draw about the whole experience with an insider’s perspective (and get lots of cool photos or videos of you in action!).

Check out our KCC reporter page for information on submitting a story: http://kcc.org.nz/kcc-reporters/

Got more questions? Get in touch with Rebecca (our new KCC Officer): r.browne@forestandbird.org.nz.

To join this event, please bring an adult who is responsible for you!