7 January 2013
'Women, Water & Wells' - new exhibition marks beginning of UN International Year of Water Cooperation
Photo opportunity: 4.30pm on Thursday, 10th January at Dalhousie Building. Gil Garcetti will deliver a presentation discussing his exhibition.
image is © Gil Garcetti
The University of Dundee will this week highlight the dramatic economic and public health outcomes that can be achieved when safe water is delivered to communities with the opening of a new photography exhibition.
The University's Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science is hosting an exhibition of work by celebrated US photographer Gil Garcetti to mark the beginning of the UN International Year of Water Cooperation. It will be opened on Thursday, 10th January when Gil visits Dundee to discuss his work.
The exhibition, entitled 'Women, Water & Wells', comprises a selection of 24 images from a collection of the same name that was started when the photographer toured Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger in 2001 as a guest of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
He subsequently produced a book raising awareness of the need to provide safe water in the developing world, a topic he will address when he makes a presentation ahead of the official opening of the exhibition.
"The most startling fact I heard early on was that close to 70 per cent of rural farm communities did not have safe water for everyday use," explained Gil.
"Visiting the villages quickly brought home to me the consequences of unsafe water - infant mortality, severe and recurrent illness for villagers of all ages, blindness, very poor and unsanitary living conditions, low farm production, absence of opportunity for private enterprise efforts, and - especially for girls - virtually no opportunity to attend school.
"I photographed what I found, including the conditions I describe above. But the photographic opportunities I saw also included images of hope and beauty. I was mesmerised by these opportunities. The eyes, the faces, the body language of the West Africans were engrossing. Sometimes they were sad or questioning, but mostly hopeful, eager, alive.
"When you provide safe water you forever change lives. I returned to West Africa four more times in preparing to tell this story. Spending time in Mali, as well as in the previously visited countries, was always fascinating, inspiring, and profound due to the significance of my undertaking."
The UN International Year of Water Cooperation will raise awareness, both on the potential for increased cooperation, and on the challenges facing water management in light of the increase in demand for water access, allocation and services.
The Year will highlight the history of successful water cooperation initiatives, as well as identify issues facing the world. Celebrations will take place throughout the year organised by various stakeholders around the world. Such events will seek to promote actions at all levels in relevant areas including education, culture, gender, the sciences, conflict prevention and resolution, as well as ethics, among others.
Professor Geoffrey Gooch, Director of the Dundee Centre, said the exhibition was the perfect way to mark the start of the year.
"The images that Gil Garcetti has captured breathe life into the statistics and vividly illustrate the human story that underpins the issue of safe water supply," he said. "We are delighted that Gil will be joining us for the first event to be held as part of our celebrations of the UN International Year of Water Cooperation.
"The message of hope that is contained in his collection is vital as we aim to demonstrate how much of a difference we can make to people's lives through cooperation."
Gil Garcetti will give a presentation discussing his work and experiences in Africa at Dalhousie Building from 4.30pm on Thursday, 10th January. Professor Pete Downes, Principal of the University, will officially open the exhibition, 'Women, Water & Wells' at Dalhousie Building at 6pm on the same day. The exhibition will remain on display until March.
Notes to editors:
The Dundee Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science operates under the auspices of UNESCO and forms part of Graduate School of Natural Resources Law, Policy and Management at the University of Dundee.
The Centre combines water law, policy and science and its multidisciplinary approach ensures that it is able to draw upon the full range of academic and practical expertise needed to affect real benefits for people around the world. The Centre has conducted research and training in, for example, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Africa, Latin America, China, Cambodia etc.
The Centre is committed to local capacity building and an empowerment agenda; its teaching and training programs aim to develop science-based competencies in water law, policy and management.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
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University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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