Brackish Rising was a multi-faceted project by artists Mike Bianco and Loren Kronemyer which engaged issues of salt, water, desalination, ecology, and water sovereignty in Southwest Australia. The comprehensive project called attention to the importance of the Kwinana desalination plant, the first of its kind in Australia, and a facility which has provided nearly 20% of all potable water in the Perth metropolitan area for the past decade.
Through a process of interviews, community research, and site-based exploration, the artists documented and re-presented the unseen sights and sounds that define our relationship to salinity. Taking inspiration from the fluidity of water, we created a mobile research center to engage local stakeholders through a month-long program of interviews, workshops, public tours and events, and saline meals. The project extended its reach to a global public through social media, a website, and a Brackish Radio podcast.
Brackish Rising was commissioned by International Art Space as part of the Know Thy Neighbour program, and presented for the 2017 Perth International Arts Festival in partnership with the City of Kwinana.
www.brackishrising.com
https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pgPGNJWEqG?play=true
Pee Still , 2017