Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Columbia University Presents the Year of Water Two Semesters of Art, Lectures, Symposia and Research Focused on Earth’s Most Precious Resource

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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:
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Eve Glasberg, eg2731@columbia.edu, 212.854.8336




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:
Eve Glasberg, eg2731@columbia.edu, 212.854.8336

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