Diplomatic suitcase
Water is vital for all life on Earth, yet the voices of water are rarely heard in political decision-making. Born out of growing water challenges and demands for water democracy worldwide, the Confluence of European Water Bodies sprang from a collective pursuit of a deeper understanding of the ‘Rights of Nature’ in Europe. This growing community of care and concern aims to foster new dialogues and relationships with water, formed by over 20 grassroots communities representing seas, lakes, rivers, lagoons and glaciers from all over Europe. As a learning system for water diplomacy, new strategies for effectively representing water in Europe’s cultural, legal and political realms are being explored, rehearsed and advocated.
The Confluence of European Water Bodies converged for the first time in September 2023 at the shores of the saltwater lagoon the Mar Menor in Spain. Being the first European ecosystem with legal personhood, this fragile and severely contaminated ecosystem became an example and inspiration for nature protection in Europe.
The Diplomatic Suitcase is the symbolic and tangible remnant of this momentum. During ritual gatherings among water communities, each participating water contributed an artifact, like the bones of a 1970s seahorse from the Mar Menor, a bikini from the Polish River Sisters and an algae from the Venice lagoon. These items symbolise the spirit of care and activism in addressing the environmental crises.
This multimedia and portable installation that unpacks into an exhibition, tells the many stories of the problems European waters are facing but also demonstrates how water diplomacy can give rise to an emerging alliance of water guardians advocating the urgency of ecological and social transformation.
