El Futuro del Agua

Inside the Future Laboratory in Venice, the Argentine Pavilion explores the Future of Water based on its present. As we know, water is fundamentally linked to the origin and destiny of life on the planet. Its connections with geography and climate have shaped the characteristics of the biosphere for millions of years, in a critical and perpetually active relationship that will also determine the future. In any of the planet's future scenarios, the role of water will be paramount. Human habitat and water have always been mutually defined. Our technology and culture have developed interventions over centuries that seek to ensure its availability and benefits while controlling its negative effects. Today, it is human activity itself that has generated excesses and imbalances. The future availability of freshwater, the capacity of rivers and oceans to absorb waste, or the potential rise in sea levels are aspects that can drastically affect life on the planet. The exhibition makes the multiple facets of water visible across the territory and scales. By observing our behaviors with water resources and what we construct based on them, we can interpret a part of our relationship with water and promote reflections on future actions. Upon entering the Argentine Pavilion, we find ourselves surrounded by a calm, slightly dreamlike atmosphere that abstracts from the outside. We notice that a fluid has flooded the lower part of the Pavilion while the upper part remains intact. This fluid is a single color that covers everything up to a perfectly horizontal level at 70 centimeters in height. Above this intangible liquid, white planes of light are arranged freely, with the inherent disorder of floating objects. These planes constitute the tops of large illuminated tables, akin to those found in photographic laboratories or drafting tables. Over them, transparencies with images grouped by theme present the exhibition. The diffuse light bathing the space accentuates the liquid illusion of the place. The exhibition is structured around a glossary of terms that encompass all scales of water. Images related to each theme are associated by table, bringing forth correspondences between the territory, cities, and a curation of historical and recent Argentine architectures. The themes and tables do not follow an apparent order: flotation has moved and mixed them. There is no predetermined path, but rather multiple ways to move, circulate, advance, or retrace one's steps. With water up to their thighs, visitors traverse the pavilion and immerse themselves in Argentina's past and present water context: its terms and presence in the territory, its cultural and environmental significance, and the architectures and designs that shape, contain, and channel it. Upon exiting to the outside, we once again encounter the Arsenal, Venice, and the water of its canals and lagoon, now concrete and tangible, suddenly powerful and fragile. We begin to envision its future, the Future of Water. Glossary: Freshwater, Watercourse, Body of Water, Cloud, Fog, Dock, Beach, Irrigation, Gutter, Drinking Trough, Pool, Tank, Cistern, Stilt House, Bridge, Covering, Gutter, Gargoyle, Restroom, Pipeline, Container.