The English expression “To be in HOT WATER” means to be in trouble. Currently, climate change, environmental decline, rights violations, volatile politics and conflict all suggest “HOT WATER”. Water is a critical element for all beings on Earth. A symbol of life and a “common good” which should be available to all, water is quickly becoming a commodity to some, and often taken as hostage in conflicts to besiege and displace populations. Corporates, governments, and industries such as mining and tourism use it for their own short-term benefits, depriving people – especially Indigenous people and farmers – of their rights, causing pollution, threatening health and the environment, and compromising long-term water management.
How can art, science, design, and activism reinstate the social, cultural and environmental value of water?How can we share the responsibility of water in a positive way? How can we all preserve the right of access to water? How can intergenerational knowledge-sharing get us out of “HOT WATER”, end conflict and find peace?
