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Human activities have been shaping the landscape through history, for survival, for cultural pursuit, and for development of cities.

When a city was established, proximity to fresh water supply was vital for its survival. In old cities, the sophisticated system of fresh water collection, transport, storage, and distribution, demonstrated the early settlers’ pursuit of harmonious co-existence with nature, to take good care and make well use of the natural resource – water – in a sustainable way.

Thorough understanding of the natural world was evident in the creation of the historic waterworks, of how the earlier settlers accommodated the natural landscapes but yet finding ways to source and manage fresh water supply, in the days with limited technology.

In the early days of Hong Kong, we had limited fresh water supply. The British colonial government commissioned to construct the Pokfulam Reservoir and Conduit in the 1860s, relying on gravity to transport water from Pokfulam to the Central area. The TaiTam Reservoir and Bowen Aqueduct were then built in 1880s to provide for the then-expanding city, transforming the tranquil hillside of the city for the purpose fresh water supply. The way that the early settlers had shaped the landscapes of the Hong Kong countryside in order to sustain fresh water for the city is still evident nowadays, though many parts are already in disuse as we purchase water from China’s Dongjiang.

This project, “The WATER Collection ︳水•集”, aims to reveal how the old waterworks systems work with the natural landscape of Hong Kong, through expression in land art.

The tension, integration, sacrifice, and co-existence, between human and nature, through the manifestation of the old waterworks, will be explored through the trajectories of 1) commodification of the natural element of water, 2) human’s sensitivity and connotation with sounds of water, 3) use of materials for the construction and operation of the waterworks infrastructure, and 4) forgotten changes in the natural landscapes by historic waterworks.

Opening Ceremony & Presentation
Date : 2015/11/28
Time: 11:00-13:00
Venue: CACHe@Annex Block, 36A Western Street, Sai Ying Pun

Exhibition
Date : 2015/11/28 – 2015/12/12
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 – 13:00, 14:00-18:00 (Closed on Sundays, Monday and Public Holidays)
Venue: CACHe@Annex Block, 36A Western Street, Sai Ying Pun

Guided-Tour: TaiTam Waterworks Landscape
Date : 2015/11/29
Time: 09:00-13:00
Venue: TaiTam (Upper) Reservoir
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