The State We're In—Water
Constructing a sense of place in the hydrosphere
2020-21, Oklahoma State University Museum of Art
Constructing a sense of place in the hydrosphere
2020-21, Oklahoma State University Museum of Art
The title refers to the multiple meanings of the word ‘state’—as a political boundary, qualitative assessment, and as a reference to the physical forms of matter. Like water, the state we live in is always in flux as community priorities shift, the physical landscape is modified, and technology continues to change how we work and communicate.
Water in all forms is a powerful contributor to our sense of place or what makes a region unique. Water sculpts the landscape as it moves through an environment and makes life possible. |
Increasingly though, severe droughts followed by extreme rain events, floods, and tidal surges intensified by climate change have destructive impacts on human and non-human communities. Anthropogenic activities release pollutants into the environment altering the landscape affecting water quality and availability. All water will eventually find the ocean. So, for better or worse, what we do locally has global repercussions.
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