The Water Arch is an immersive art installation that playfully draws attention to the ever-increasing use of clean drinking water, created by the Dutch media arts collective DROPSTUFF MEDIA.

The work is an abstract interpretation of a classic Dutch barrel organ. By turning a big wheel, the organ comes to life and plays songs from long-forgotten days, while water is pumped up through a system of tubes and bubbles. The water eventually collects in a large container above your head. At 36 gallons (134 liters) the water is released. Protected by a large transparent dome you experience at an instant how much water we use daily. 36 gallons is the amount that every person in The Netherlands uses every day on average. In the USA this goes up to 82 gallons* (310 liters).

The music is an adaptation of a recording of a famous barrel organ from the 1950s and 1960s from the archive of the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

www.drinkwaterplatform.nl / www.epa.gov

DROPSTUFF MEDIA is a media arts collective, creators of immersive arts and interactive experiences. Our specialty is creating scenarios that encourage people to actively explore the intersections between stories, rituals, cultural heritage, art, and experimental (media) technologies.

March 22 – 25, daily 11 am – 5 pm