The base object is a recycled wooden power pole, the kind that has been used to ensure energy supply and communication for over a century. In its previous form as a tree it carried water to its branches and leaves.
The Watermark shall be placed at locations where water had been plentiful but no longer is, due to the ongoing draught in combination with mankind’s excessive consumption. It will serve as a reminder that something essential to life is missing here. Those locations will be dried riverbeds, ponds, reservoirs, lakes without water, and similar places.
The Watermark will function like a pushpin on a map or a traditional water level indicator used at riversides, all familiar symbols ensuring a clear message.
There will be a number of Watermarks placed all over California. This will allow them to be used as highly recognizable landmarks. The Watermark can be placed at both easily accessed and remote locations. It can be deployed as a single pole, but as well in groups of like or different heights.
In case there is exposure to artificial light at night, a duo-tone coating can be used to allow special color effects.
The Watermark is a readymade communication device among people on topics such as the ongoing drought, childhood memories of times when there was more water, the environmental impact of aridity, the cleanliness of the water, and discussions about what needs to be done to save water or even bring back water to a particular place.
The multilayer coating will transform each wooden pole into a fascinating, futuristic object that has the potential to become a landmark itself. Without being pessimistic or destructive, it will turn the telegraph pole – which is already an American icon – into a symbol and a reminder of a core problem related to our way of life.
KuBO 2015
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