The Water Arch is an immersive art installation that playfully draws attention to the ever-increasing use of clean drinking water.

The work is an abstract interpretation of a classic Dutch barrel organ. By turning a big wheel, the organ comes to life and plays songs from long-forgotten days, while water is pumped up through a system of tubes and bubbles.

36 gallons
The water eventually collects in a large container above your head. At 36 gallons (134 liters) the water is released. Protected by a large transparent dome, you experience in an instant how much water we use daily. 36 gallons is the amount that every person in The Netherlands uses every day on average. In the USA this goes up to 82 gallons* (310 liters).

The music is an adaptation of a recording of a famous barrel organ from the 1950s and 1960s from the archive of the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

* www.drinkwaterplatform.nl / www.epa.gov

Traveling to the USA
In March 2023, the installation will travel to the United States of America for a presentation at the renowned SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, followed by New York City Water Week.

SXSW, Creative Industries Expo
Austin Convention Center, Booth 1527
March 12-15, daily 9-16 uur

South Street Seaport Museum
New York, Manhattan, Pier 16
• UN Water Week March 22-16
• Redwood Art Expo, New York March 29 – April 2