An article in the National Geographic titled, Water, The Age of Scarcity Begins, inspired Ammar Al Attar to do a project aboutwater. Moved by the fact that our most basic...
An article in the National Geographic titled, Water, The Age of Scarcity Begins, inspired Ammar Al Attar to do a project aboutwater. Moved by the fact that our most basic necessity is a scarce and precious resource, the artist chose the UAE in which toexplore the contradictory notion that water is often given away for free; remaining easily accessible and freely available tomany. In his study of this paradox, Al Attar investigates two pivotal questions: is the notion of giving away free water increasingout of conscious necessity? Or, is it simply that an urbanized people have forgotten the importance of conservation? Al Attarvisits various UAE neighborhoods to observe different types of water coolers. The artist captures different types of coolers indifferent spaces. The most commonly used steel-box coolers are specially made using mosaics by a charitable organization incollaboration with an Islamic architect. They occupy a distinct space outside private homes and mosques. The artist????s mostunique subject was a bench with different taps, stationed outside a mansion in Um Al Quwain. People with large jars crowdedthe area, in the wait of water. The crowds grew so large that the owner of the house scheduled specific hours for watercollection, so that he may have enough time to refill his tanks Al Attar presents his "Sibeel Water"series on a pressinglycurrent issue to emphasize the scarcity of water and the importance of sustaining our most precious element.