Hidden City Fairmount Waterworks

Over the weekend I had a chance to visit the Bibotorium at the Fairmount Water Works. Situated near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Bibotorium is a part of Hidden City 2012 and is the work of Camp Little Hope. On first approach the work looks to be a simple beer garden. A beautiful awning, co-produced by local Reload Bags, shades a lovely patch of grass with steps leading to a railing looking out at the Schuylkill. Drawing closer, little details seem out of place. The Bibotorium’s bar is backed by a large chalkboard, a young man is constantly erasing and re-writing the prices of the three available drinks, or is it nine, there are 3 waters, 3 lagers, and 3 teas but initially I couldn’t understand the difference between each. Windows facing the tent’s side reveal an uncanny scene in a dim many columned room. The length of this room is consumed by 3 lap pools and in each pool floats a bizarre robot/boat. My curiosity piqued I realized there were waiters running in and out of the building, through the window I saw them drawing beverages from long pipes emerging from these robot boats. I then noticed other people watching images, projected from the bow of one boat dancing across the rear wall. Turning to head inside I bumped into a young lady. “Whadda you think?” she inquired. Shortly, Megan had explained the pricing structure and difference between the beverages. The pools are filled with water from different sources around Philadelphia. The robot boats draw water from these pools, filter it and make tea, beer, and water from each pool. As the pools are depleted the prices for those beverages go up based on the remaining supply. Megan, a hobby beer brewer, became a volunteer on the project in the early planning phases when Camp Little Hope was looking for local advice on beer brewing. She explained to me that tea and beer were both ways of filtering water and we got into a pretty fascinating conversation about the future of water here in Philadelphia and the globe as well as about the various roles art making can take to help re-imagine civic engagement. After a great conversation with Megan I sat down for a panel discussion with locals, industrial designers, and artists that ran from the very practical to the extremely fanciful. If you are in Philadelphia before June 30th, I’d highly recommend checking out this installation/performance, make sure to check the schedule as there are several fascinating talks and lectures coming up. I’ll be reviewing other Hidden City Projects as the month progresses.