HOLDUP* present its latest installation exhibited in Southend-on-Sea, further East of London, UK. This is HOLDUP’s first collaboration with BLOO NATION*, an association investigating “embedded water,” i.e., our hidden water footprint.
The team has been invited during the Solomon Monk’s Pump House festival organized by METAL* in Chalkwell Park.
PROJECT
The Waving Wall of Chalkwell is an art installation, commissioned by Metal, comprising of over 1200, 19L water cooler bottles*, demonstrating the vast journey water takes as well as the amount of water used in the production of certain products; a few of which have been depicted in small cabinets, along with information regarding their water consumption.
“The average Brit only sees 3% of the water that they consume.”
BLOO Nation uses art to raise awareness about the concept of embedded water: the volume of water used to produce a product in various steps of the production chain.
The Waving Wall attempts to help visualize the vast amounts of ‘invisible’ water required to produce these items using a straightforward calculation: assuming that every water cooler bottle is filled, there would be approximately 22,800L of water based on this fact. This entire installation would only make up about two pairs of jeans or 5 beef steaks!
In the UK, we individually soak up 4645L of water on a daily basis, that’s 50 bathtubs worth of water! The problem with this is that two-thirds of this water is imported through products, from countries that are already suffering from water shortages. There is an impending water crisis.
“In 2025, more than half of the world’s population will be facing water-based vulnerability.”
For more information, visit: www.bloonation.com
DETAILS
Architects: HOLDUP
Design Team: Guillaume Jounet + Remy Bardin
Event: Solomon Monk’s Pump House at METAL
Client: BLOO NATION
Year: 2011
Location: Southend-on-Sea, UK
Budget: 5,000£
Dimensions: L=40m x l=5m x H=3,5m
Photographs: HOLDUP
Video: HOLDUP
Sponsors: 4 ACES Liquid Packaging
MATERIALS
Structure: 1200 water cooler bottles
Binder: double-sided polyurethane foam tape
CONTACTS
* HOLDUP is an architecture & art direction fresh office founded by Remy BARDIN + Guillaume JOUNET
* BLOO NATION is a water-friendly label founded by Guillaume JOUNET + Lola PEDRO
* METAL is an art laboratory partly depending on South-Bank Art Centre
