Columbia University Presents the Year of
Water
Two Semesters of Art, Lectures, Symposia
and Research Focused on Earth’s Most Precious Resource
Restorative
and ruinous, excessive and scarce, water sustains life on our planet,
alternatively fueling or undermining ecosystems, biodiversity, the global
economy and technological innovation.
NEW YORK, NY,
September 5, 2019—Beginning this fall, Columbia
University is launching the Year
of Water, an interdisciplinary investigation of water in all its social,
political, cultural, economic and environmental complexities. Led by Columbia’s
School of the Arts and convened across
the University, public programming for the Year of Water features art
presentations and exhibitions, lectures, screenings, readings and symposia
focused on our planet’s most precious resource.
“Artists, writers and thinkers working globally in multiple
creative forms are deeply involved in issues surrounding water and climate
change. It is exciting for the School of the Arts to spearhead the Year of
Water and to play a central role in bringing together the institutes, schools
and programs at Columbia engaged in important research and action around these
vital concerns,” said Carol Becker,
Dean of Columbia’s School of the Arts.”
Columbia University Presents the Year of
Water
Two Semesters of Art, Lectures, Symposia
and Research Focused on Earth’s Most Precious Resource
Restorative
and ruinous, excessive and scarce, water sustains life on our planet,
alternatively fueling or undermining ecosystems, biodiversity, the global
economy and technological innovation.
NEW YORK, NY,
September 5, 2019—Beginning this fall, Columbia
University is launching the Year
of Water, an interdisciplinary investigation of water in all its social,
political, cultural, economic and environmental complexities. Led by Columbia’s
School of the Arts and convened across
the University, public programming for the Year of Water features art
presentations and exhibitions, lectures, screenings, readings and symposia
focused on our planet’s most precious resource.
“Artists, writers and thinkers working globally in multiple
creative forms are deeply involved in issues surrounding water and climate
change. It is exciting for the School of the Arts to spearhead the Year of
Water and to play a central role in bringing together the institutes, schools
and programs at Columbia engaged in important research and action around these
vital concerns,” said Carol Becker,
Dean of Columbia’s School of the Arts.”
Columbia is a leader in cutting-edge research in
water-related areas such as climate change, storm prevention, sustainability
and water rights. Throughout the year, this research will be the focus of panel
discussions and conferences led by professors at schools and institutes across
the University including the Earth
Institute, Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory, Columbia Water Center, the Center
for Resilient Cities and Landscapes, the Center for Climate and Life, Columbia Law School, the Data Science Institute, Columbia Engineering School, Mailman School of Public Health, the Center
on Global Energy Policy and the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning
and Preservation.
Some of the initial events planned for the Year of Water are:
On September 17, Professor Kate Orff,
Director of the Urban Design Program and the Center for Resilient Cities at
Columbia’s Architecture School, and Shaun Donovan, former United States
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, will lead Lessons
from Rebuild by Design, the design and planning competition launched by the
Obama Administration for projects that promote resilience in the face of
climate change.
Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur
Eliasson will visit Columbia on September 26 to discuss how his large-scale
works such as Ice Watch and New York City Waterfalls spark critical
dialogue about climate change and our relationship to nature. Eliasson’s
architectural projects and interventions in civic space engage the public
through arts education, policy-making and issues of sustainability.
Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde brings WATERLICHT to the public plaza in
front of the Lenfest Center for
the Arts on the nights of October 22, 23 and 24. WATERLICHT, or water light, is a site-wide, large-scale light
installation that illuminates the power and poetry of water and raises awareness
of how sea levels could rise globally. Propelled by LED lights and lenses, WATERLICHT can only be viewed after
sunset, from 7:30 to 11 each evening. Registration, which opens on October 1,
is required. (See below for photos of WATERLICHT.)
Also on October 24, Vijay Iyer’s “Song for Flint,”
commissioned for the Year of Water by Miller
Theatre, will have its world premiere at the theater in a performance by The
Knights, a Brooklyn-based ensemble.
Visit https://yearofwater.columbia.edu/ for more information on
public programming and water research, and to register for WATERLICHT on October 1.
About Columbia University
Among the world’s leading research universities, Columbia
University in the City of New
York continuously seeks to advance the frontiers of scholarship and foster a
campus community deeply engaged in the complex issues of our time through
teaching, research, patient care and public service. The University is
comprised of 16 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, and four
affiliated colleges and seminaries in Manhattan, and a wide array of research
institutes and global centers around the world. More than 40,000 students,
award-winning faculty and professional staff define the University’s underlying
values and commitment to pursuing new knowledge and educating informed, engaged
citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia is the fifth oldest
institution of higher learning in the United States.
Media Contact:
Columbia is a leader in cutting-edge research in
water-related areas such as climate change, storm prevention, sustainability
and water rights. Throughout the year, this research will be the focus of panel
discussions and conferences led by professors at schools and institutes across
the University including the Earth
Institute, Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory, Columbia Water Center, the Center
for Resilient Cities and Landscapes, the Center for Climate and Life, Columbia Law School, the Data Science Institute, Columbia Engineering School, Mailman School of Public Health, the Center
on Global Energy Policy and the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning
and Preservation.
Some of the initial events planned for the Year of Water are:
On September 17, Professor Kate Orff,
Director of the Urban Design Program and the Center for Resilient Cities at
Columbia’s Architecture School, and Shaun Donovan, former United States
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, will lead Lessons
from Rebuild by Design, the design and planning competition launched by the
Obama Administration for projects that promote resilience in the face of
climate change.
Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur
Eliasson will visit Columbia on September 26 to discuss how his large-scale
works such as Ice Watch and New York City Waterfalls spark critical
dialogue about climate change and our relationship to nature. Eliasson’s
architectural projects and interventions in civic space engage the public
through arts education, policy-making and issues of sustainability.
Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde brings WATERLICHT to the public plaza in
front of the Lenfest Center for
the Arts on the nights of October 22, 23 and 24. WATERLICHT, or water light, is a site-wide, large-scale light
installation that illuminates the power and poetry of water and raises awareness
of how sea levels could rise globally. Propelled by LED lights and lenses, WATERLICHT can only be viewed after
sunset, from 7:30 to 11 each evening. Registration, which opens on October 1,
is required. (See below for photos of WATERLICHT.)
Also on October 24, Vijay Iyer’s “Song for Flint,”
commissioned for the Year of Water by Miller
Theatre, will have its world premiere at the theater in a performance by The
Knights, a Brooklyn-based ensemble.
Visit https://yearofwater.columbia.edu/ for more information on
public programming and water research, and to register for WATERLICHT on October 1.
About Columbia University
Among the world’s leading research universities, Columbia
University in the City of New
York continuously seeks to advance the frontiers of scholarship and foster a
campus community deeply engaged in the complex issues of our time through
teaching, research, patient care and public service. The University is
comprised of 16 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, and four
affiliated colleges and seminaries in Manhattan, and a wide array of research
institutes and global centers around the world. More than 40,000 students,
award-winning faculty and professional staff define the University’s underlying
values and commitment to pursuing new knowledge and educating informed, engaged
citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia is the fifth oldest
institution of higher learning in the United States.
Media Contact:
