Making Water Visible, 2015

Made collaboratively by artists Jasmine Targett and Debbie Symons

Making Water Visible maps Victoria’s major natural water systems, including interconnected rivers, lakes, dams, springs, and unseen groundwater networks. This research-driven artwork presents a comprehensive visualisation of Melbourne’s water system, bringing into view an essential yet often overlooked infrastructure.

Handcrafted from luminescent perspex and mirrored surfaces, the work shimmers with reflected light, evoking the sense of water as a living system. Like the human nervous system, it suggests a complex network that sustains and connects life across the urban environment.

Developed in collaboration with the City of Melbourne, Melbourne Water, and Geoscience Australia, the project draws on scientific and civic data to construct an integrated representation of the region’s hydrological systems.

By rendering these systems visible, the work seeks to give Melbourne’s water network a tangible identity, encouraging greater awareness of its role in sustaining the city’s ecological and urban life.

Making Water Visible embodies the City of Melbourne’s 2014 Total Watermark – City as a Catchment Strategy.

Making Water Visible was exhibited at part of The Catchments Project during the first studio-based artist in residency program at Creative Spaces Carlton Connect Studio, LAB14.