INTRODUCTION Recalling the Latin phrase Sine Qua Non (Without Which Nothing), a critical investigation of water and its relationship to humankind is a meandering journey of beginnings, transformations, and timely necessities. A vital natural resource, water is a universal force that impacts all peoples, places, and periods of time. Many artists today create paintings, video installations, performance, photographs, sculptures, and other forms of art examining and illustrating the ways in which water influences contemporary culture and forecasts a hydrated tomorrow.
The Streams of Consciousness: The Histories, Mythologies, and Ecologies of Water exhibit at the Salina Art Center welcomes visitors to experience the subject of water through the interpretations of 18 national and international artists.
To further learning more about water’s history, myths associated with water, and its place in today’s ecology to continue our awareness of water’s role in our own lives, use the modules developed to accompany this exhibit.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
2
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ASSESSMENT
MODULE ONE
6
MODULE TWO
8
MODULE THREE
RESOURCES
4
HISTORIES 12 MYTHOLOGIES 16 ECOLOGIES 19
21
OTHER WATER ART
22
EXHIBIT SUMMARIES
24
The contents of this teacher’s guide is based on the exhibit produced by the Salina Art Center Text, design, research: Cindy Higgins 2012
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After completing the first lesson, students will be able to better understand the topic of water and identify basic facts on the topic and will be self-assessed by 80% to 100% accuracy with an online test. Too, they will assess water issues and themselves with online peers and can be assessed by an on-site instructor with projects illustrating water concepts and terminology.
GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ASSESSMENT
The second module encompasses exhibit touring and review of art pieces. Leaners can be assessed by a text-totalk project demonstrating required elements of review and reporting. The concluding module has three parts. After the first on the history of water, students will interpret key dates regarding water in civilization advancement and demonstrate that knowledge by producing a timeline of five key water dates. After the second lesson that involves water mythology, students can create a poster representing a mythical being and can be assessed on pre-selected key elements. In the final lesson, students will review proposed water solutions and can detail their own water plan of action. Instructors using these modules as coursework can use the following for estimated lesson and activity time completion: Before the exhibit: 1.5 hours At the exhibit: 1.5 hours for onsite or online viewing and activity After the exhibit: 1 hour each for the three lessons with activities and give equal weight to the first two modules and each of the three lessons (history, mythology, ecology) in the third module for a total of five lessons with activities. Because many activities in these modules employ independent judgment and creativity, it’s advisable to remind students to strive for originality and avoid copyright infringement. If using pictures from online sources, for example, restrict use to Microsoft’s copyright-free resources. In addition, whereas visiting the exhibit is the optimal experience, this may not be practical. Therefore, viewing the exhibit online is considered a comparable experience and sufficient to do the associated activities. If these activities are to be graded, consider granting full credit for completion with the understanding that students approach creative work at different skill levels and are being introduced to new tools.
Computer expertise Minimal Computer hardware You will need a personal computer, headphones, and high speed internet with a security system that will permit access to a variety of governmental agencies, learning companies, and social media such as YouTube. Computer software None. You will be using free online applications: Twister, Xtranormal, Tagzedo, Timeglider, and Glogster.
Another form of assessment that may be used is the Tuning Protocol or class critique in which students are each given the opportunity to present their activity products for review of their peers at the conclusion of the final lesson. Each student should be instructed to prepare an introduction, describe work in the presentation, and address non-evaluative comments from the audience such as clarifying questions or constructive critiques presented as “What if” statements (Instead of using x, what if you used y to get your point across?). Students in the audience, too, should write their feedback for each presentation and be given credit for completion of this activity. Grammar, spelling,
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punctuation, presentation, and required assignments may be part of an overall grading rubric for modules if using the Tuning Protocol class critique assessment. A certificate for completion also may be given for completion instead of a grade. Field trips in Kansas might include a visit to the Water Center in Wichita, Kansas, that has exhibits and variety of programs. Note to teachers requiring file format assignment submissions: Use of the discussion area for assignment submission may encourage additional learning interaction as would use of collaborative sticky notes such as Notaland, a whiteboard wiki where students can use a variety of media to instantly create brainstorms, presentations, scrapbooks, and participate in interactive chats.
suggested text resource and DVD The Water Wars (2011) Author: Cameron Stracher "Welcome to a future where water is more precious than oil or gold...Hundreds of millions of people have already died, and millions more will soon fall, victims of disease, hunger, and dehydration. It is a time of drought and war. The rivers have dried up, the polar caps have melted, and drinkable water is now in the hands of the powerful few. There are fines for wasting it and prison sentences for exceeding the quotas." Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (October 1, 2011). ISBN-10: 1402267592; Available at Amazon.
Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2009) Producer: Sam Bozzo. Available at PBS Video Consumer and Educational videos at www.shoppbs.org, Amazon, Amazon on Demand, and Netflix (USA)
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MODULE ONE objective Before viewing the Streams of Consciousness: The Histories, Mythologies, and Ecologies of Water exhibit, let's watch quick overviews of water basics. Then, we’ll show what we learned in a tweet and fun quiz and also offer our opinion on water issues affecting everyone today. Upon completion, you should be able to identify basic water facts and answer all (or almost all) the questions on a fun test. policy Before we start, keep in mind this website is about learning and experimenting and not about “being right.” pre-assessment How much do you really know about water? Quick, name three facts you know about water! 1. 2. 3. overview If you are like most people in the United States, water is abundant and it's something we usually don't notice unless we have too much or too little of it. We use it every day in our homes, to irrigate our cops, and to make things in factories. We travel on it, get power from it, and need it to stay alive. The water we use today is the water that has always been on this earth. There is as much water today as there ever was and every will be, always moving from one place to another in different forms.
tutorial To better understand water, look at it through the eyes of Walter the Water Molecule who will show you about the ways water is part of our world as he journeys to different places. Next, watch these two short water stories: Water Cycle (press “auto” in the lower lefthand corner once the screen appears) Watershed
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activity Let’s use some of what you’ve been learning to make a Twister. Open here to invent a character and write a 25-word-or-less tweet that the character might make about the water cycle or watershed. For instance, see this example of what the Sun recently tweeted about the water cycle. activity with assessment You should be water smart now! You've learned about water's chemical properties, how it moves around the earth, its uses, and basic terms. Test your water knowledge with this game that lets you know instantly if you have the right answer. If you want to score 100%, immerse yourself here (2.58 minutes) with answers that will be on the test. [Hint: Set this to full screen for optimum viewing.] If you answered each correctly, you are a Water Genius! If you missed more than one, you are an Almost Water Genius. Now, if you didn't get any right, you might want to take the test again as part of your Water Learning Cycle. discussion Now share your water smarts with others by giving your opinion on these water topics and see what others have to say, too. Biggest water problem in the future? Vote for your favorite water body! How serious are these environmental problems? Water shortage! How would you fix it? Where does the water cycle begin? What is your daily home water use? You also may want to make comments here. resources Interested in the science of water? Learn about today’s research by reading recent articles about water research in Science Daily, including: New Discovery About Comets and Earth’s Oceans Water Movement in the Human Body Linked to Disease Cures Sea Shells Can Clean Radioactivity From Water Make Irrigation More Effective by Looking at Plant Roots
on-site guiding questions What do you know about water? All living things need water to live. How much of your body is water? 70 percent. That is the same percent of water in your brain. If you don’t drink enough water, your brain doesn’t work as it should. What do you use water for? Answers will vary. What is water? A compound of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Two hydrogen atoms bound with one oxygen atom to form a molecule. What color is water? Water reflects what is around it and what is in it. What shape is water? Water continuously changes as a liquid, gas, and ice. How much of our planet is water? Almost all: 97 percent. Water determines what lives on this planet and where. What pollutes water? Oil spills, fertilizer and agricultural run-off, sewage, stormwater, industrial wastes, etc. What does it mean “we all live downstream”? We all live with water that others have used.
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AT THE EXHIBIT
MODULE TWO objective Throughout time, people have depicted water in their art. They may use symbols for water, strive to portray it realistically, or use water as a design element. Another way to use water in art is as an idea. That is, in conceptual art, the thought or idea of an art piece is more important than what the art piece looks or sounds like. Let’s now review the Streams of Consciousness exhibit, either in the actual gallery or online. To do that, we’ll look for certain elements and make several decisions. Upon completion, you should be able to identify elements of art, produce a review, and create your own art piece. policy Keep in mind that art is a product of expression. You might not agree with the idea or expression or even like it, but you should be open to different viewpoints and have respect for the artist and his or her expression. pre-assessment Look at this artwork from the exhibit. What do you think of when you see this? You might be thinking “Why is this art?” Some art is easy to define but even that art has explanations and context making it more meaningful. You, too, with your interpretation give meaning to art. tutorial: self-guided exploration Viewing the exhibit — either on site or online, answer these questions while looking at each artwork: How is water portrayed in each piece? What makes your curious? Which art work is symbolic, conceptual, realistic, or a design element? Which pieces depict the state of Kansas, the United States, or the world? What aspect of water does each piece reflect? Use? Conservation? Science? Environment? Power? Which is your favorite to look at? Which is your favorite because of its meaning? Why would someone appreciate this art work?
Also, read the description (or see appendix) for each artwork for better understanding.
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practice activity Reviewers look at what they are reporting in different ways to better inform their audience. Here is one news account that exhibits the Five Ws (and one H) used by reporter to gather and report information: Who is it about? What happened? Where did it take place? When did it take place? Why did it happen? How did it happen? Streams of Consciousness: The Histories, Mythologies, and Ecologies of Water will be on display until March 11 at the Salina Art Center, 242 S. Santa Fe. Christopher Cook, executive director of the Salina Art Center, was quoted in the Nov. 4 Salina Journal as saying, “We brought a lot of artists out to do research and projects related to the water project,” he said. “It’s a year-long series that includes exhibits, site visits with artists, public forums and discussions to start to build a dialogue on water issues that concern the community and the state.” Of the exhibits by 18 artists, the ones representing Kansas the most, said Ann Hoekstra, SAC, would be those created by two SAC artists in residence:
Marie Lorenz, Brooklyn, New York, uses boats in her art to highlight a sense of place. In SAC’s The New Campbell’s Ferry, Lorenz replicated an early ferry in Salina with a wooden palette atop found plastic bottles for flotation. Katie Holten, Dublin, has three pieces in the show: a clothbound book, The Water Atlas; a water timeline created with public library books; and Smoky Hill River Fossil—a shredded newspaper, glue, and water sculpture in shape of the river.
As for audience interest, Hoekstra said “you can’t bypass the mural by Leslie Show. Everyone sees it. It’s so large and space filling that people are drawn to it.” Entitled Drop Form, this collage and acrylic on wall mural represents water’s origin in the solar system and was inspired by a cloud of frozen water vapor in space. Currently exhibiting internationally is Sigalit Landau. In Salted Lake, presented at SAC, Landua dipped shoes in the Dead Sea to encrust them in salt before filming them melting through ice on a frozen lake. On her website, she wrote: “From the heights of the 3rd strata of the pavilion, they fall and dive downwards burdened with history and gravity. I shot the video in Poland, in the revolutionary city of Gdansk, to create a work that touches upon collective memory and pain.” Can you find the 5 W’s (and one H)? If you were to describe this exhibit, who would be your audience? What would you tell them? Use Xtranormal, a free online application that translates text to talking, to review the exhibition. With this application, you can choose characters, sets, sounds, camera angles, music, and other elements to make a short movie. Be specific in your review. For instance, mention an artpiece, artist, art mode, and your feelings or observations and it’s good to change camera angles during your movie. See example. Note: You will have to create a user account that includes an email address and password.
activity discussion and assessment Post a link to your review here so others can see it and comment.
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Sometimes a review is thumbs up (good) or thumbs down (bad). Watch Jeff Seabright, vice president, Coca Cola, talk here about what his company is doing to provide access to safe drinking water. How would you rate Coca Cola’s water efforts based on this presentation? Thumbs up? Thumbs down?
Jeff Seabright, 53, has to figure out how to clean the 290 billion liters of water Coca-Cola and its bottlers use to make its products, ensuring future water supplies for the company -- and local communities. "We are effectively a hydration company, so it's a business risk for us if water is not readily available. Whether we draw water from a municipality or extract groundwater, we've really pushed ourselves to understand the full 360 on water: from a watershed perspective, a social context, and in our plant use. In India, we're funding rainwater-capture devices and drip irrigation, offsetting our use. In Guatemala, we're working to clean up a watershed that feeds into the world's second-largest marine reef -- and our bottling plant. From 2002 to 2006, product volume increased 14%, and the amount of water used to make that product decreased 6%. Right now, 84% of the water we use to produce our products is fully treated and returned to the environment, safe for aquatic life.
Tell why here and be sure and include the five W’s (and one H) in your review. here’s your assignment! Remembering that artists express ideas differently and in a variety of ways, look at Corrie’s White’s liquid drop art that she describes as “A world of fascinating shapes carved from drops of water or milk caught in time by a brief flash of light.” What words would you use to describe water after viewing her artwork? Write those words (and others that you might think of to make your own art in a Tagzedo. You will have to choose a color, theme, font, and few other things that you can easily change! When done, save your art and post it to the blog, print it, or use it for your own exhibit on water.
collaboration project Share some of your thoughts about water with others at this collaborative writing platform.
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resources Installation PLUNGE by Michael Pinsky is being showcased in 2012 to alert people to the impact of climate change on a city like London. It depicts what the impact of rising sea levels because of climate change, will be in 3012 on three of the London’s monuments. The rising expected sea level of 90 feet is shown with a ring of low energy blue LED lights. No one really knows about the sea level but this could be right, the artist maintains, if the world continues in its present practices. Learn more at Pinsky’s exhibit site where you also can see how you will be affected by rising sea levels. Also, read this interview about how an audio artist conceptualizes her water-focused projects.
06/14/2010 - 13:00 Corina MacDonald: You are using data sonification to establish a link between actions at a personal level and global climate change, what do you think this approach can reveal about these interconnections? Kate Carr: I’m not so much using data sonically to underline that individual actions lead to climate change, although obviously I think there is a need for all of us to look at the things we can change to have a more positive impact on our environment. More what I am trying to do is emphasize that in our day-to-day lives we don’t often take the space to look at the way our weather patterns are changing. I’m originally from Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, which is a subtropical town, and one thing I remember growing up were these terrific summer rainstorms and they just don’t happen anymore or rarely. In 2007, the state government banned all outside water use in a bid to cope with the drought there, and while things have improved it was quite shocking to me just how drastically the weather patterns in my hometown had altered in the 10 years since I’d lived there. So I wanted to use data to examine the ways these changes are charted over time. I think the rhythmic nature particularly of weather data, lends itself to aural works, and referencing this data so directly gives listeners and musicians the opportunity to reflect on what those numbers actually represent. This project I’m focusing on the beauty and wonder of weather, and in particular water the role of water in that, given this is the theme for the Ear to the Earth festival, and the ways these things impact physically in our lives in terms of thirst or getting wet or even being scared by lightning and thunder. I also wanted to point to the way the rhythms and the complexities of weather have infused our language and our lives way beyond just the physical impact of the weather. I love the way weather and water are used as a metaphors for so many things: “I’ve hit choppy waters,” “Every cloud has a silver lining,” “Jump in the deep end”, and this is why I wanted to combine this emphasis on data with the use of existing musical or aural works which reference water. I’m trying to point out that the weather and the world we have has made us who we are and infused everything from the rhythm of our days to our language and the way we frame our creative practices, and so to change the weather really means we will change, and how we understand ourselves will change. Darren McClure, for example, multiplied the raw weather data he collected for Masumoto, Japan, by the length of various household items associated with water like his hose to make his piece ‘Elements’ which is on the website. I know it’s just a small thing, but I was just struck by the fact that even your understanding of such an everyday item as a hose can markedly shift when you live through water restrictions. For a while in Brisbane everyone were banned from using them, and so the hose became a nostalgic item around the house with no use. Sprinklers in particular, which are also referenced in Darren’s piece, are almost totally a thing of the past in Australia, whereas they used to be used on a weekly basis to water the lawn and gardens. I can’t remember the last time I saw a sprinkler anywhere and one of the museums here has started collecting them as period pieces! To me this really emphases just how much things are changing: I mean who would’ve thought a hose or a sprinkler could become a metaphor for this longing for a time past. His idea of longing and change is emphasized in many of the tracks chosen by the artists so far in their works. Lots of them use water as a metaphor for desire or emotional distress, or even danger, as in the case of “Bridge over troubled waters,” which was sampled for My Fun’s piece called ‘Troubled Waters.’ To me this title really illustrates the themes of this project because right now ‘troubled waters’ means a very different thing to 20 years ago when we have so many lakes and rivers and even oceans, which are threatened by pollution and climate change.”
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AFTER THE EXHIBIT
MODULE THREE HISTORIES “In time and with water, everything changes.” Leonardo di Vinci objective Does water have a history? Maybe a better way of looking at the history of water is to look at the ways it has been used throughout time and decisions made that affect it. After learning about water through time, we’ll make our own timeline of water management. Upon completion, you should be able to identify ways that water has been managed through time and create your own water timeline. policy Know that history is far more than specific dates. More important is what happened and the order it happened in relation to other events. pre-assessment What have people done to water to use it? Control it? tutorial In Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization, Steve Solomon explains how humankind has used water throughout civilizations. Read the following to understand how people have benefitted from water and used it. a short history of water at work Earth, the “water” planet, has been shaped by liquid water and ice sheets, Through time, people settled near the water they needed to drink, travel, and for other uses. Because civilizations flourished with plentiful water supply and failed when supplies dropped, controlling water long has been a governmental concern with water control mastery often a requirement of long-ago rulers. Yu the Great, for example, rose to power in China for his control of Yellow River flooding and oversight of trench digging to divert floodwaters. His approach mirrored the Confucian concept advocating for forceful manipulation of nature to achieve the public good through dikes, dams, and other obstructions. Taoists argued that water would ultimately wear down obstacles, so Taoist engineers incorporated natural ecosystems in their waterworks design to allow water to flow with minimal obstruction.
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Aqueducts, the Roman waterway system, supplied running water, indoor plumbing, and sewer systems that reduced waterborn diseases. Using gravity and gradients, plus stone, brick and volcanic cement, the Romans built a grand 260-mile system of channels, tunnels, and pipes with 30 miles aboveground with the rest underground. Huge cisterns in Rome held incoming water from 11 aqueducts funneled water through lead pipes to one million citizens. Elsewhere within the empire, aqueducts supplied water to almost 200 cities. Romans weren’t the first to use aqueducts: for hundreds of years Persia (now Iran), India, Egypt, and other countries used them. Water mastery also shortened travel. Portugal, Spain, Holland, and England mastered the seas to extend their empires. Building canals, too, for example, the 150-mile Canal du Midi in France completed in 1681 united the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts shortening French sailors’ voyages. Inspired by the resulting economic boom from travel reductions, Francis Egerton in 1760 built a canal in England that set off a building spree resulting in a national waterway network. These coal-carrying canals and the newly-invented steam engine launched the Industrial Revolution’s mechanized factories that replaced the home handicraft system. As an energy source, water, too, throughout civilization powered the mills that ground grains. Production, trade, and communication accelerated with the steam engine, quadrupling the distance a person could travel by ship or rail. In the early United States, steamboats provided a way for farmers to get crops to market on the nation’s waterways. Steam age machinery also made possible the building of the Erie Canal—363 miles— contributing to the economic growth of New York City and canals at Suez (1869) and Panama (1914) changing global commerce and power balances. Initially powered by falling water, the electrical age switched to turbines with the first major hydroelectric power station built in 1886 at Niagara Falls. Hoover Dam’s 1936 water turbines generated many times more energy. “The progression of water use in energy production — from the simple, directly-channeled water
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current to turn waterwheels, to steam engines heated by coal, to spinning turbines that generated electricity from cascading torrents of stream pressure, to coolant for large nuclear and fossil fuel plants — itself highlighted a prominent feature of water’s role in human history: with each new technology cycles, its uses were always evolving and expanding,” Solomon wrote. The building of Hoover Dam became a model for public works projects in the Great Depression. Across the country, workers built dams to harness the America’s rivers. The frenzy of dam building from the 1930s to the 1970s delivered copious supplies of irrigation water and cheap hydroelectricity as well as improved flood control and river navigation. The upsurge in water supply also came from a new source: the Ogallala Aquifer, an immense, inaccessible underground supply of water, a drip-by-drip accumulation from the prehistoric ice ages. Farmers in eight states started using centrifugal pumps and the center-pivot irrigation system during the mid-20th century to obtain this honeycomb of fossil water that provided — in good years — up to ¾ of the entire world’s wheat crop. However, decades of pumping now endanger this freshwater source, for decades a subject of interstate litigation and conservation measures. As the 21st century unfolds, so does the international challenge of dealing with water scarcity. Wrote Solomon: “The control and manipulation of water should be a pivotal axis of power and human achievement throughout history is hardly surprising. Water has always been man’s most indispensable natural resource and one endowed with special, seemingly magical powers of physical transformation derived from its unique molecular properties and extraordinary role in Earth’s geological and biological processes. Through the centuries, societies have struggled politically, militarily, and economically to control the world’s water wealth to erect cities around it, to transport goods upon it, to harness its latent energy in various forms to utilize it as a vital input of agriculture and industry, and to extract political advantage from it. Today, there is hardly an accessible freshwater resource on the plant that is not being engineered often monumentally by man.” activity Watch The Power of Snoqualmie Falls, a short video about energy production from a natural resource, and Importance of Building the Hoover Dam, a history of this water source in the West. activity Make a list of events and dates about the history of water, and then decide which ones you want to include. You might want to use the following dates from Solomon’s book or use finding from your own research. Now list events from earliest to latest. You can make the timeline with paper, pencils, or other materials or use a free, online application such as TimeToast, Timerime,Timeglider, or Capzles to build the timeline. For instance, see The Recent History of Water in Georgia for a great timeline example.
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resource Key dates from The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization: 5000 years ago: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Northern China, and Upper Indus learn to control water from large rivers for mass irrigation. 2000 BC: Shadoof, a device that was invented in Mesopotamia that could raise 600 gallons a day, reaches Egypt. 1000 BC: Norias employe a chain of pots attached to wheel turned by oxen. 650 BC: Assyrians build dams to increase water supply. 100 BC: Roman engineers raise horizontal water wheel to vertical position and multiply its power to grind tons of grains daily. Romans also blast jets of water into hills to extract gold for coins. 200 BC: Romans invent concrete by adding water to limestone and then go on to build aqueducts and other infrastructure. 400 AD: Mayans carve underground cisterns in limestone to store water for year-round use and build canals on hillside terraces. 700 AD: China Grand Canal finished — mankind’s largest artificial waterway reaching the distance equal to New York and Florida. 1776 AD: James Watt, 27, builds first modern steam engine that fueled the Industrial Revolution. 1869 AD: Suez Canal built. 1914 AD: Panama Canal built 1950s AD: With the centrifugal pump and center pivot irrigation, farmers began pumping water from the Ogallala Aquifer, which lays under eight states, 10 times faster than the aquifer could recharge.
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MYTHOLOGIES “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” Loren Eiseley objective Bunyips. Ashrays. Selkies. Krakens. What? Water has long held an important role in myths and legends, and these numerous creatures and divine beings have been told about in stories. After we learned about these past myths, we’ll explore some modern-day myths. After we learn about these past myths, we’ll explore modern-day myths. pre-assessment Can you remember any stories you've heard that had to do with water? tutorial Read the following for an overview of water mythology. The Greeks envisioned Earth surrounded by Oceanus, a river similar to a snake with a tail in its mouth. Eastern cultures also envisioned sacred circles of water. Creation myths see the ocean as the source from which earth was created and floats as an island. The Nupe of Nigeria say long ago their king was warned of an enemy invasion. His daughter ripped up a bolt of black cloth and dropped the pieces to the ground where they turned into a river deep enough to keep the kingdom from invasion. Ponce de Leon looking for a fountain of water restoring youth in 1513 followed a tradition of recovering health by immersing in certain sacred springs. Asian and European myths tell of creatures born from springs that also were homes to mythological creatures such as pixies of the British Isles. Merfolk legends go way back. One of the earliest was of a Babylonian fertility goddess, Atargatis, who was both good and destructive, a common dual nature found in many mermaid legends and to the ocean itself. European folklore made merfolk mortal and gave them magical powers. To see one was to invite a shipwreck; to woo one invited trickery. Some, such as the German Lorelei, lure men to death with their singing; Caribbean merfolk steal a person’s shadow, a loss that results in madness.
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Then, there are the Fomorians whose name means “The Dark of the Sea,” and are said to be demons living in an underwater city off the Donegal Coast in Ireland. A glance from Balor of the Evil Eye can result in sickness and often death. Blue Men of the Minch force ship captains to solve riddles to escape shipwreck. Fosse grim, a water spirit, plays enchanted songs on the violin, luring women and children to drown in lakes and streams. Japanese Kappas, monkey-like sea creatures, lure children to the water to pull them under and suck their blood. Then, there’s Uncegila, a mighty water snake, the Lakota say, that flooded the land with salt water so nothing could grow and left us with deserts today. Water sprites, human females with skins the color of the sea, are harmless, too — if you leave them alone! Were merfolk really manatees? The mermaids Columbus reported “were not as beautiful as they are represented.” Captain John Smith said he saw one in the West Indies. Captain Whitbourne in 1610 clubbed one on the head by Newfoundland. Henry Hudson a year earlier said the one he saw had long black hair.
"Nearly every ancient society enjoyed close spiritual relationships with water—the Australians with the Dreaming and its signposts to waterholes, the Egyptians with the sacred waters of the Nile that brought fertility and symbolic rebirth, the Maya with the dark, primordial waters before the creation. Water was powerful, a matter of life and death, part of a sentient landscape brought to life by gods and goddesses, often in wells, rivers, and lakes." Brian Fagan, author of Elixer: A History of Water and Humankind
activity Read Water Mythology created by S.M. Enzler to learn about myths and legends on water and water creatures, and then make a poster illustrating one of these creatures or myths using Glogster.com. After setting up a password and username, you can mix images, texts, sound, and video to present a multimedia poster such as the one made with Glogster on this page illustrating Manannan mac Lir, the Irish god of seas, weather, and magic. activity History describes events documented as actually happening, whereas myths tell stories of creatures, divine beings, and gods. Myths also are popular beliefs that aren’t based on facts. Check out Five Myths About Drinking Water by Allison Aubrey on the National Public Radio website and determine whether which is fact? Which is a myth?
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five myths about drinking water Myth No. 1: Drink Eight Glasses Each Day. Scientists say there's no clear health benefit to chugging or even sipping water all day. So where does the standard advice of drinking eight glasses each day come from? "Nobody really knows," says Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a kidney expert at the University of Pennsylvania.
Myth No. 2: Drinking Lots of Water Helps Clear Out Toxins. The kidneys filter toxins from our bloodstreams. Then the toxins clear through the urine. The question is, does drinking extra water each day improve the function of the kidneys? "No," says Goldfarb. "In fact, drinking large amounts of water surprisingly tends to reduce the kidney's ability to function as a filter. It's a subtle decline, but definite." Myth No. 3: Lots of Water Equals Healthier Skin. The body is already 60 percent water. So, if you take a 200-pound man, he's 120 pounds of water. Adding a few extra glasses of water each day has limited effect. "It's such a tiny part of what's in the body," says Goldfarb. "It's very unlikely that one's getting any benefit." His full editorial is published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. One study published in 2007 on the cosmetic benefit of drinking water suggests that 500 ml of water increases capillary blood flow in the skin. "But it's unclear whether these changes are clinically significant," says Goldfarb. Myth No. 4: Drinking Extra Water Leads to Weight Loss. A more accurate statement may be: Drinking water is a helpful tool for dieters. "Water is a great strategy for dieters because it has no calories," says Madeline Fernstrom of the University of Pittsburgh. "So you can keep your mouth busy without food and get the sense of satisfaction." But water is not magical, she adds. Other zero-calorie options such as diet sodas are fine, too. Myth No. 5: It's Easy to Get Dehydrated During a Workout Dehydration sets in when a person has lost 2 percent of his or her body weight. So for a 200-pound man, this means losing 4 pounds of water. Marathon runners, bikers and hikers all need to recognize the signs of dehydration. "It is also obvious that individuals in hot, dry climates have increased need for water," says Goldfarb. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that athletes drink 16 ounces of fluids a couple of hours before starting sports practice. But for a stroll in the park, no water bottle is necessary. Goldfarb's advice: Just drink when you're thirsty.
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ECOLOGIES objective All the water on the planet is all that ever will be. We can't make more water. The same is true for water quality. If people pollute water, it will have to be made clean again to use. News stories abound with problems associated with water. Let’s look at solutions. pre-assessment What things pollute water? tutorial Factories, waste treatment plants, and other sources can discharge harmful elements that pollute water, which is why countries have laws to prevent pollution. Contaminants can enter the water indirectly, for example, from traffic, fertilizers, and pesticides. These “nonpoint sources� are hard to control because the source can be hard to trace. For example, watersheds with urban areas can be polluted with: Oil, grease, and fuel from vehicles and other machinery Fertilizers and pesticides from yards and gardens Salts and sand used for winter road maintenance Bacteria from pet waste, wildlife, and sewers Chemical use and spills on roads Effects of this water pollution can poison water so that organisms in that water or using it are harmed or even die. Solutions such as laws or scientific practices can minimize pollutants. But these solutions cost money and require people to be responsible.
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activity Listen to one of the Environmental Protection Agency's Watershed Academy free webcast seminars. activity Stewardship is about taking care of something. First, you need to know for what you are being responsible. Start with learning in which watershed you live. Wait, do you remember what a watershed is? If not, re-watch Watershed from Module One! In the USA, click here to find your watershed based on your city, state, zip code, or other location identifier. You also can find the organizations working to protect water quality in your area and what they and you can do to make your water better. In Ian Davis’ painting at the exhibit, scientists stand on barrels of water. Many of us stand on water, too, the water stored underground in aquifers. In Aquifer Depletion, see how too much use depletes stored water. Many think our water resources are being used up too fast. Find out about water in other countries by watching these news segments that encourage us to act locally and think globally. assignment Tomorrow’s good water will depend on you. Learn what you can do with Be Hydro-Logical. resource Go to local water events to find out more what you can do for water!
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Brian Fagan Charles Fishman Elixer: A History of Water and Humankind Fagan's narrative moves across the world and divides water into three ages of water: In the first, scarce water makes every culture view it as sacred. In the second age, water was a commodity to be exploited. He maintains we are entering the third age as ancient aquifers run dry and will have to treat water with the reverence of the first age.
The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water From the wet moons of Saturn to the water-hungry hotels of Las Vegas, with stops at a rice farm in the Australian outback, IBM’s plant creating pure water found nowhere in nature, and other water-storied places, Fishman asserts abundant, free, and safe water is past and the future a high-stakes water era.
Steve Solomon Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization A 5,000-year odyssey, this book how controlling water flow created the origin of cities, armies, and rulers. Special attention is paid to hydraulic engineering’s influence on the human domination of nature.
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Artists in Kansas have long used water as a motif in artwork. Here John Steuart Curry (1897–1946) used water in his painting Baptism in Kansas done in 1928. This exhibit at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library displayed the sights of Kansas waterways through the work of local artists Lisa Grossman, Barbara Waterman-Peters and Matt Needham. View Grossman’s river paintings here.
Now in its fourth year, this annual moving art installation, WaterFire, features floating bonfires on Brush Creek in Kansas City. If you can, plan to attend! Festivities take place in October.
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EXHIBIT SUMMARIES
Leslie Show Drop Form Collage and acrylic on wall Inspired by quasars and black holes in outer space, this large wall covering depicts a theory about the formation of water.
Robyn O’Neil Some Things You Said These final hours embrace at last; this is our ending, this is our past Graphite on paper O’Neill spent eight years making large pencil drawings showing identical men in track suits pursuing hopeless projects in a threatening dominant natural world. She has a movie of her graphite drawings seen in this trailer.
Katie Holten Water Atlas of Salina (book containing Holten’s research of water in Salina) Earth’s Water Timeline (water-related books from Salina Public Library in a straight line starting with water creation to current-day water issues)
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Smoky Hill River Fossil (shredded newspaper, glue, and water sculpture in shape of river and also creature skeleton)
Tony Feher Waiting Plastic and water Feher creates sculptures from discarded materials.
Sigalit Landau DeadSee Single-channel video To show the geopolitical conflict and ecological disaster Landua sees in Israel, she connected 500 watermelons to make a spiral shaped raft that she floated on the Dead Sea. As the spiral unfurls, it reveals Landau floating.
Salted Lake Landau soaked shoes in the Dead Sea, then took the salt crystal-covered shoes to a frozen lake in Poland where they melted through the ice.
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Priti Cox Kadam Chawl Single-channel digital projection, 5 minute loop Cox, born in India and Salina resident, documented the collection and use of water for one day and night in a Mumbai slum. Slum residents live in one-room houses and share on water tap that flows for a half an hour a night.
Amy Franceschini and Jason Meyers Rainwater Harvester Using salvaged materials, these artists show how water can be re-used in a home, for example, watering a herb garden in the kitchen.
Marie Lorenz The New Campbell’s Ferry A palette ferry atop plastic bottles from the river now used for flotation is to replicate an early ferry used in Salina. In addition, Lorenz gathered people to walk to the river, cross the river in the ferry, and hike on the other river side.
Ian Davis Scientists Water Source Both are acrylic on linen Showing a dam with floating logs in the water and viewers, Davis’ other work is of people standing storage containers presumably full of water. Can the people access the water in the containers? Are containers like the aquifer? Why are the people dressed identically and look the same? See other photos:
Amy Balkin with Alicia Pozniak Sutro Ruins Ocean Baths Two-channel digital video, 5 minute loop One video shows the ruins; the other shows bathers enjoying surf-fed rock pools built bath house ruins.
Julia Oschatz Fountain of Youth Mixed media on canvas
Alec Soth Wedding Dress Mixed media The romance and broken hearts are depicted here.
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Spurse HyperSeas MetaOceans This is supposed to show the complexities of gathering and protecting living resources of the oceans with an exhibit of tools and text.
Scott Anderson Funeral Mourners’ Village Oil on canvas These appeared to be a funeral pyre on water. However, the description says it shows a world falling apart, upheaval, the opening that can come from chaos. Water is seen as part of the landscape.
Mary Mattingly Aqua 2000 Photograph Water, similar to gasoline, may be a scarce resource in the future.
Michael Jones McKean The Ancients Wood fragments People have used water for travel through time.
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