With the population set to swell to 10 billion by 2050, we will experience a rise in demand that current water systems will not fulfill. At present, humanity struggles to achieve an equitable coverage of water; 1 billion individuals currently lack access to clean drinking water and a further 2 billion lack access to basic sanitation. The loss of access to water has been repeatedly observed to unhinge socio-political fabrics, weaken national economies, and dramatically reduce public health, and understandably so. The progression of climate change is also expected to exacerbate distributive tensions by increasing the volatility of meteorological phenomena. One would imagine that such forecasts would encourage policy makers to bolster the integrity of existing water infrastructures, but this is not the case. Investment into improving water infrastructure has, in fact, dropped by nearly 25% in most developed nations. As such, even regions like Yorkshire experience a daily loss of 300,270,000 liters of water because of leaky pipes.

 

There is a perception that water exists in limitless supply, and the consumption habits of developed nations seem to reflect this. Our current trajectory is one that offers little guarantee of continued prosperity. Though water infrastructure is commonly hidden from view, prompting complacency in our relationship with it, a greater sense of responsibility and ownership over this invaluable resource must be adopted on an individual basis. Because of this, I seek to encourage a greater sense of conservation amongst the community of students in Leeds Arts University by addressing what is likely the most water consumptive region of the institution: the printmaking workshop.

 

My specific submission, a 12-part printed awareness campaign regarding water use in the print room, is only a small element of a much wider investigation into both our global and local hydrology. With a dissertation on the threats and potential remedies of the global water crisis as a contextual motivation, I authored a proposal framework for sustainable water use in the print room. This document sought to identify the root causes of water waste in the printroom and propose alternative methodologies to conserving water. Though some changes addressed are more tool-specific, and therefore mechanical in nature, the user-facing issues understandably required design-based solutions. This printed awareness campaign, for instance, endeavours to establish a clear necessity for water conservation, and a more cautious atmosphere regarding the impact of resource usage.

 

It addresses habitual concerns of the user, rather than functional concerns of the printroom, and must therefore be dynamic in its delivery. As such, it has a tailored release pattern to ensure a gradual and considered progression of information. It establishes an apparent relevance to the content, and addresses the viewer (likely to be a printmaker) as a printmaker. On average, a screen takes ~35 liters of water to process, a value that compounds enormously with each daily user, so it goes without saying that change in water management should be promoted on both sides of the printroom.

 

To most, conserving water seems to be a bizarre notion; most still believe water exists in limitless supply. Given the current state of affairs, however, this is clearly untrue. The fact remains, that as practitioners of a consumptive process, and as individuals who otherwise seek to influence culture for the better, we have an unspoken duty to consider the sustainability of our specialisms.