DUTCH NATIONAL TAPWATER TASTING

DUTCH NATIONAL TAPWATER TASTING

Holland has one of the purest tap water in the world. It is widely used for drinking, but the same water is also used for other daily needs, such as for showering, washing, and flushing toilets. The tap water comes from various parts of the country, and water from each region has a noticeable difference in taste. We brought water from each of the 12 Dutch province capitals, put them in 130 one-litre bottles, and gathered the bottles in an abandoned water basin (yes, somebody actually drove a van across the country), which was a unique experience, because you rarely find different kinds of water put together in one place . This number signifies the amount of water used by the average Dutch person for their various daily needs. This is a water tasting project, that also acts as a contest. I also tried to gather attention to raise awareness of the value of tap water.  When it comes to wine, everybody is concerned with the ‘terroir’ of the wine. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could treat tap water the same way? Why don’t we say ‘ tonight we’re eating fish, I’ll get some Amsterdam tap water. Tomorrow we’ll have meat. Maybe I should get some Utrecht tap water…’

After the first exhibition in Tilburg in 2006, the tapwater tasting has been exhibited in Gallery MAMA in Rotterdam in 2007 and now has a permanent place since 2016 at EKWC in Oisterwijk.