Well, believe it or not, but the humble tap is now the new muse for artistes. With the world addressing issues like save water and climate change, and with “go green” slogans taking the world by storm, creative heads from various fields are now using “water taps” as a symbol of inspiration to support these causes. From photography, installations to tiny knick-knacks, taps are embracing different forms to spread the word.
Delhi-based designer Puneet Gupta recently designed a set of installations with chairs and taps, tilted “0.76°”, which represents the environmental, social and economic threats faced by our planet.
“The thought behind designing this chair was to juxtapose perceived realism. This functional art piece brings the issue of climate change forward. False reality is depicted through the all white Swarovski-studded cushioned seating, which represents our life today (luxurious, lush and beautiful),”?he says.
He adds that actual reality is represented through the installations behind the chair, made up of vessels and taps. His resource pool gets a symbolic twist through vessels and the increasing exploitation is represented through the water flowing out of taps.
For Puneet, taps represent the basic problems of the common man. “For me, it’s a symbol of motion, which depicts changes in life. These taps express how, in pursuit of happiness, humans are exploiting nature, which is leading to drainage of natural resources, extinction of plants and other species,” he says.
Fashion is an art, where the tap too has now got a stylish avatar. Photographer Rohit Chawla has showcased the tap as a symbol of flair and flamboyance in one of his photographs, which was a part of his exhibition titled “The World of Wearable Art”. “It’s just a fun picture and doesn’t give out any social message. A New Zealand-based style guru designed the outfit. It’s actually a tongue-in-cheek look, which is a spoof on fashion. Taps here represent satire,” he says.
Joining the bandwagon is designer Nida Mahmood who will soon unveil a 40ft high tap installation, which symbolises the importance of water and its impending scarcity. She says, “The installation is a maze of pipes and faucets that show the natural cycle of life. We want to utilise waste water from the RO plant, which will be recycled and then may be used for watering plants in the premise. The idea is to build a tangible, visual, artistic, multi dimensional narrative, which highlights the issue of water crisis and at the same time upholds our commitment towards being responsible citizens. The tap is used as a symbol as it represents life in the shape of faucets.”