Water is everywhere. It shapes landscapes, fuels industries, influences geopolitics, and sustains life itself. Yet, we are at a critical moment in history: water scarcity, pollution, and rising sea levels are becoming more urgent than ever. How can we make sense of these challenges, and how can we create new media that help us tell the story of water in a way that drives awareness and action?

 

​

A New Perspective on Water

​

Water crises are escalating worldwide. Droughts fuel wildfires, floods reshape coastlines, and access to clean water is becoming increasingly unequal. Headlines in the papers are asking: How long can we afford to flush fresh water down our toilets? The Netherlands, with its deep roots in water management, is at the forefront of these discussions. New Media Project 5 explores water not just as a natural resource, but as a powerful force that defines our past, present, and future. This project leverages TU Delft’s expertise to create engaging, immersive storytelling that brings water’s impact to life. Through a combination of artistic exploration and technological innovation, this project will investigate the systems that manage, transport, and control water, bringing them into public consciousness.

​

Some of the key research questions include:

• What does a water crisis truly look like? Are we in one?

• Is water a universal right or a privilege?

• How does water shape economies, food security, and global trade?

• What invisible watertechnologies shape our current water-landscape?

• Can we visualize the hidden infrastructures that keep our cities from flooding?

• How can we use XR, interaction design, and data-driven visualizations to communicate these ideas?

​

This project aims to create a new artistic medium, which will be used to create an interactive experience that makes water’s unseen influences tangible, intuitive and thought-provoking.

​

​

Exploring the Black Box of Water

Much of our relationship with water is invisible, hidden in underground pipes, global supply chains, and complex ecosystems. This project aims to "open the black box" of water technology, uncovering the hidden systems that sustain our world. Topics might include:
- Hydropower 2.0 – Rethinking sustainable energy from water
- Climate resilience – Visualizing future-proof solutions for water crises
- Alternative water sources – Can we extract water from air? Can we recycle wastewater?
- PFAS & pollution – Investigating the chemicals contaminating our water sources
- Simulating the future – Using scale models, AI, and digital twins for water management

​

 

What to Expect

​

At Dream Team Emergence Delft, we are committed to opening up complex scientific and societal questions through interactive media. New Media Project 5 will bring together an interdisciplinary team to develop a cutting-edge artistic medium that explores water from multiple perspectives—scientific, technological, social, and philosophical.

​

We will work closely with experts in water management, environmental science, and design, as well as potential partners such as Water Management Centrum Nederland, Dutch Water Authorities, and TU Delft Water Management. The final outcome will be an art installation and interactive storytelling tool, exhibited at major public events.

​

We are looking for interdisciplinary thinkers, makers, storytellers and engineers. This New Media Project will take a full academic year, which means we are looking for a project team that joins our Dream Team for the whole year on a full- or parttime basis. Does the topic of water lie close to your heart? Does this topic align perfectly with your (academic) interests? Join us!