How Did We Get Here?
The project reimagines the Elizabeth Street Creek as a living, decolonised system of water distribution and ecological restoration.
At its core is the "Living Fountain": a public drinking fountain that uses native flora and condensation technology to capture, purify, and present water for tranformative communal use. The artifact represents 100 years of speculative change, merging functionality and narrative. Made from materials such as reclaimed London plane tree wood and local clay, the installation critiques colonial infrastructure while fostering a culture of care. It envisions a future where urban water systems are shaped by Indigenous knowledge and ecological responsiveness, inviting the public to interact intimately with water as a shared resource.
Naarm / Narrm / Neirm / Nairm
the cone
of
possibilities
the endless
cycle of
reinterpretation*
This project was explored under a cone of potential futures by means of a speculative study of the probable, plausible, and possible futures.
By means of this research, we can better grasp the possible directions ahead and reflect on the current condition of water governance and city planning.
The “probable” looks at what would probably happen should present patterns carry on.
In A Probable Future...
Where Melbourne faces increasing water scarcity due to prolonged droughts and the impacts ofclimate change, the city embraces fog-catching nets.
The “plausible” take into account situations that, given reasonable technological, policy, and social change, could actually arise.
In A Plausible Future...
Industrial involvement in water purification is seen as contaminated and. untrustworthy, consumers feel more secure in sovereign water collecting, sourcing bio-filtered water.