24th Biennial of Design
Ljubljana, Slovenia
18. 9.—7. 12. 2014
Slo
·
Eng
3, 2, 1 ... Test

3Public Water Public Space

Open Call, 13 February 2014
From the immediate dissolution of rainwater into any city’s sewage system, to the removal and disrepair of drinking fountains in urban centres, water has, in recent years, progressively disappeared from public space. In a country like Slovenia, with an abundant supply of pristine water, can we return this essential component of everyday life to public space? This team will strive to raise awareness of these questions and concerns, and reintegrate local water on the stage of daily public life.

Reaction, 7 August 2014
Water is wonderfully strange. As a solid, liquid and gas, it characterizes our planet. It is a guarantor of life, reflecting solar radiation and insulating from the chill of deep space. Water constitutes the cells in our bodies, and drives our biological processes. We feel it when it rains or snows. We smell and taste it; we enjoy the sight and sound of it. We publicly revel in it, whether at the city fountain or at the beach. Yet, confronted with Ljubljana’s abundance of fresh water, we are all too ignorant of it. Public Water Public Space explores the possibilities of water as a locus of public activity: as a biological and historical fluid, as a material and effect, and as an opportunity for sharing.

Team mentors

Marko Fatur, civil engineer, expert on water cycle and water systems, working at the Urban Planning Institute of Ljubljana
www.luz.si

Aldo Bakker, product designer, working in his own studio since 1994
www.aldobakker.com

Team members

Henriëtte Waal, Asnate Bočkis, Matic Vrabič, Vanja Gortnar, John Stanislav Sadar, Bennie Meek