The Urban Archipelago Celebrates Its Surroundings
New York Water Week is hosting a panoply of events on the topic of water in our city of islands. A joint initiative of the City’s Department of Environmental Protection and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Water Week showcases innovative water management and action, and is produced in tandem with the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, which continues through Friday.
Among the multiple Water Week observances in Lower Manhattan, the South Street Seaport Museum is presenting the Water Arch, a hands-on art installation that highlights the ever-increasing demand for clean drinking water. Standing at the center of the piece, you turn a wheel to pump water through clear pipes and receptacles to have it rain down around you, without getting you wet. The amount of water used illustrates the average volume used by a Dutch resident each day, and about half the amount that a typical American expends every 24 hours. The Water Arch will be on display at Pier 16 from Wednesday, March 22 through Sunday, April 2. Admission is free.
On Thursday evening, March 23, the German non-profit Viva con Agua (which advocates for universal access to clean water) will take over the Tribeca co-working facility Spring Place to offer an evening of art, music, and discussion, under the heading of “Water Is a Human Right.” A photo exhibition will illustrate the struggle for global access to drinking water, and a panel discussion will focus on “Collaboration for Water and Climate.” Music will be provided by Kenyan hip-hop artist Octopizzo. Admission to this event, which is scheduled to run from 7:30 to 11:30pm, is free. Enter at Six St. Johns Lane (an alley that runs parallel to Sixth Avenue and Varick Street, and can be accessed via Laight or Beach Streets, south of Canal Street).
On Friday morning, March 24, 9am to 11am, Lower Manhattan’s CallisonRTKL Architects will present “Together We Walk: Placing Water at the Centre of Urban Developments.” This panel discussion will focus on strategies to tackle increasingly complex urban water issues.
Also on Friday morning, from 9am to 11am, the Trust for Governors Island will offer a one-hour Resiliency Walking Tour. Starting at the ferry landing, tour guides from the Trust will escort visitors through Colonels Row, the original shoreline of the island; Hammock Grove, a young urban forest with wind-, heat-, and drought-resistant species that native insects and birds call home; and Outlook Hill, with 360-degree views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Statue of Liberty. Admission is free.
That evening, the South Street Seaport Museum will host “Water, Art, and Activism,” a panel discussion that will explore the importance of water and how art can serve as a conduit for activism and awareness. Participants will include René van Engelenburg (the artistic and general director of Dropstuff Media and creator of the Water Arch); Sarah Cameron Sunde (a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and environmental interdisciplinary artist), and Tim Gilman-Ševčík (executive director of the Resilience, Education, Training and Innovation Center). This free event will be held in the Seaport Museum’s gallery (12 Fulton Street), and will begin at 6:30pm. Registration in advance is recommended.