How many people die every day from
preventable, water-related diseases
because they do not have access to
clean water?

Christine Destrempes is creating the installation and public art project, 13,699, to raise awareness of the number of people who die every day from water-related diseases because they do not have access to clean water. To symbolize these deaths, one recycled, clear plastic water bottle cap is used to represent each person. The caps have been collected from the Keene, NH recycling center and are strung on monofilament and hung from a 10' x 10' metal grid. A steel frame supports the grid and has one point of access and exit with an open five foot circle in the middle. The object of the installation is to present the opportunity to experience physically the magnitude of this humanitarian crisis statistic. The choice of using plastic bottle caps calls attention to other related enviromental issues surrounding bolltled water, such as privatization, depletion of aquifers, the environmental impact of plastic waste, the use of fossil fuels in making plastic, the carbon footprint of shipping bottled water, and the leaching of plastic into our water sources. As a public art project, Destrempes goes to high schools and colleges to present the concept of using art to raise awareness and to invite students to work on the installation with her.

Primarily a print maker and painter, Destrempes' work, which is non-representational, always has been informed by the landscape. As her awareness of global water issues grew, she made the decision to make water the theme of all her work. In 2007, she realized that her serene fine art could not communicate all she wanted to say about these important issues and decided to design an installation that illustrated disturbing statistics using the same meditative qualities as her two-dimentional work. Her intention is to engender an appreciation for and stewardship of one of our most precious natural resources - water, as well as inspire advocacy for the disenfranchised who are trying to live without basic needs.

Personal Note from Christine -
My work explores the personality of water.
I am drawn to water's capacity for transformation as well as its reflective stillness, seamless adaptability, and proclivity to follow the path of least resistance. Water is the perfect embodiment of permanence and impermanence. By observing it, there is much to learn about navigating life.

Through my exploration and interpretation of water's myriad of characteristics and sublime beauty, I hope not only to engender an appreciation for, but also to promote preservation of one of our most precious natural resources.
Several years ago I read that 5 million people die every year from water-related diseases and wondered why there is no alarm sounding.

While the figure haunted me, it felt impossible to imagine. I got my calculator and figured out how many people die every day, every hour, and every minute. Then I realized I had to translate this visually. Currently I am creating an installation about the shrinking availability of clean water using recycled clear plastic water bottle caps to represent each person who dies every day because he or she does not have access to clean water. If you would like to help in the production or know of a venue for the installation, please contact me at cdestrempes@myfairpoint.net.

My website is - http://www.destrempes.com
Christine can also be seen on http://changents.com/christine-destrempes/