Water use and abuse

Sounds from Dangerous Places has mostly concentrated on environmental damage caused by the energy industries. However while visiting the controversial hydroelectric dams on the Tigris/Euphrates river systems in Turkey, parallels with another basic resource, water, became evident and suggested a new area for investigation—sonic perspectives of water usage.

The equitable use of water has long been an issue, but today’s situation is unprecedented. Finite water resources are not only subject to ever expanding human demands, but also to the increasingly unpredictable impact of climate change. The environmental, economic, cultural and political implications are far reaching, globally and locally.

Soundscapes of Water Use and Abuse will investigate the effect of water use on the environment and on people in places that contrast sustainable and unsustainable practice and that illustrate the interdependence of local, national and global concerns. The project aims to be collaborative, between disciplines—sound, journalism, visual arts, geography, water sciences—and with people involved at all levels.