Pipe Works

Drinkable, Pipeline, and Water Works were a series of site-specific installations dealing with water scarcity using the water pipes we so often overlook as material.

Water is set to be the 21st century’s driving force. Sea levels are rising, drinking water is becoming scarcer, hydroelectric dams are getting bigger, irrigation is turning desert into farmland. Bottled water often costs more than gasoline.

Pipes go along with civilization, they are the veins that carry the lifeblood, but we ignore them completely until something goes wrong. They are a common sight during construction, but disappear afterward, hidden behind walls or buried underground.

I want to bring these banal objects to the forefront, not just for the sake of the pipes themselves but to highlight how something many of us take for granted can also be something that is so vital. According to the World Health Organization, about “1.1 billion people have no access to any type of improved drinking source of water.” On the other hand, the UAE tripled its desalination efforts from 2000-2011 to 1.7 billion cubic meters of water. This type of scaling helps decrease cost and make it more viable to bring solutions such as this to the developing world.

Water Works was a site-specific installation commissioned for Sikka Art Fair by Dubai Culture. It was installed in the Al Fahidi Historic Neighborhood in Dubai during March and April 2015. It consisted of over 1.1 kilometers of pipes, 3500+ fittings, and a surround sound system. A 20-minute 5.1-channel audio track filled the installation.

A short documentary on this project by the amazing Iranian filmmaker, Roozbeh Kafi, can be found here

Pipeline was a site-specific installation, commissioned for the GMIS launch, which was cosponsored by the UAE Government, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the World Economic Forum. Held in Al Ain, UAE in September 2015.

Drinkable was a site-specific installation, commissioned for UAE’s Innovation Week and installed at American University in Dubai.

Playlists and Thanks

Most of the sounds for Water Works were recorded by the artist at various locales around the world.

Additional music and audio

“Hydrology” and “Arabica” by Lyn Faber licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

“Humidity” by Klaus Topfinger licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

“Red Ice” by ten30 licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

“Icy Watch” by Saboteur Music licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

“Water in the Air” video created in 1949 by Radford Pictures for Encyclopedia Britannica Films. Public Domain

“Wonder of Water” video created in 1958 for The Moody Institute of Science. Public Domain

“Pipeline to the Clouds” video created in 1951 for Rapheal G Wolff Productions. Public Domain

“Tennessee Valley” video created in 1936 for the US Department of Interior. Public Domain

“Soft as a Cloud” video created in 1955 for Dow Chemical by Roland Reed Productions. Directed by Paul Landres. Public Domain

“Groundwater” video created in 1935 by the US WPA. Public Domain

“Your Friend The Water – Clean Or Dirty” video created in 1954 by Encyclopedia Britannica. Public Domain.

 

Pipeline 

Thanks to Cathleen, James, and Samantha at SMG.

Thanks to the White Horizons’s crew for working so hard to build this: Fiaz, Shahzad, Fareed, Irfan Sajid, Ifran Ali, Masood, Muneer, Ilyas, Faisal, Rizwan, Waqas, Menyben, Salman, Sarfraz, Qayoum, Yasar, and Mumtaz!

 

Soundtrack for Drinkable

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Many of the sounds are recorded by the artist at various locales around the world.

 Additional music and audio

The OO Ray – Oceans Apart licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

Schemawound – Reclaimed Water (Remix) licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

DR – DR’s Reign Water (Remix) licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.

 

“Groundwater” video created in 1935 by the US WPA. Public Domain

“Private McGillicuddy – Commandments for Health: Drinking Water” video created by United States Navy, 1945. Public Domain

“Water Fountain” by The Tune Yards

“The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes by the National Film Board of Canada and Pyramid Films, 1970. Public Domain

“Drinking Water Security” by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2005, Public Domain

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