“Everything comes from water! And everything is kept alive by water!” – J.W. von Goethe, Faust II, 1833
Water is an everyday part of our lives that we often take for granted, we wash and cook with it without a second thought. Yet, potable water – water that is safe to drink – is a source of regional conflict as several of the world’s most conflict-prone regions, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, are plagued by water shortages and drought – the UN estimates that 35 – 50 percent of urban dwellers in Africa and Asia struggle to access potable water.
Bottled Water
The origins of bottle water can be traced back to the European health spas of the 1700s, which began the practice of giving out some of their healthy waters for patrons to take with them. Following in the logic of supply and demand, the spas began to charge a fee for the pleasure of drinking their waters, creating some of the longest lasting contemporary bottled water purveyors: Evian, San Pellegrino, Perrier, and Vittel, along with several others. These companies spawned an entire industry and by the early 20th century, Europe was exporting bottled water world-wide.
"After the Rape...", Fake Perrier Advertising by the French Magazine Hara-Kiri, 1970s
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