“Water and Civilisation”, a photo-exhibition visited by hundreds of thousands of people at Kampa in Prague, will be moving to Brno this autumn, to highlight the current state of water in our environment and focus on its importance to our society – and its fragility. Photo credit: MS / Brno Daily.
Brno, Sep 18 (BD) – The exhibition will consist of 22 large-format photo panels focusing on the importance of water, and its past, present, and future on our planet. The boards will carry texts written by world-renowned scientists as well as photographs from Australia, Europe, Africa, Greenland and the Americas, and will be installed on Moravské nam. from 19 September to 20 October. The main sponsor of the project is electricity conglomerate ČEZ Group, in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment and the City of Brno. The main organizer and producer is Medialogue.
The aim of the exhibition is to reach the general public and show the key importance of water for human existence from prehistoric times to today, including an overview of the current situation and possible future scenarios. Professor Miroslav Bárta, curator and co-author of the exhibition and an archaeologist and Egyptologist from Charles University in Prague, explains more about the concept and purpose behind the project: “Water has been, is and will be one of the main factors influencing the quality of our daily lives, every human being throughout human history. We think of water as seemingly endless and eternal, but that doesn’t mean it is. Our basic goal is to pull people out of their lethargy and habitual behaviors. We want to convince them that the fate of the world depends on the behavior and thinking of each and every one of us. The exhibition is absolutely unique in its concept and was put together by a number of world-renowned scientists and institutions from home and abroad.”
The exhibition will be shown amid a rising awareness in the Czech Republic of the dangers posed by a changing climate, following a series of very dry, hot summers. As Environment Minister Richard Brabec explained: “There is no more urgent and important task ahead of the Czech Republic than preparing for and adapting to the impact of climate change, especially prolonged drought, but also torrential rains and flash floods. We cannot do this without a healthy and diverse landscape, which we must take care of in order to retain as much water as possible. Water is simply the real foundation of life.” Olga Menzelová, producer of the exhibition, echoed his sentiments in somewhat starker terms: “I am glad that the exhibition is being realized right now. Many of us seem to feel that if they turn on the tap, the water will flow out of it forever. And this exhibition is supposed to lead us out of this mistake.”
The photographs, which will be illuminated at night, come from many institutions and many different photographers, including images of the Amazon springs, research into the behavior of whales and dolphins, and the devastating flood in Prague in 2002.
The exhibition is free of charge, and the opening ceremony will take place by the fountain in Moravské nam. from 5pm on 19 September.
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