Water Culture

Francesca Sorrenti, in collaboration with Ocean Futures Society's Jean-Michel Cousteau, has collected a kaleidoscope of the elemental qualities of water in a series of photographs. Against these images are set the records of the follies of mankind, the greed and despair and the ignorance.In Water Culture, Francesca Sorrenti and Marisha Shibuya of the SKe GROUP project, in partnership with Ocean Futures Society's Jean-Michel Cousteau, have collected a kaleidoscope of the elemental qualities of water and interviews with prominent world personalities on the problems facing our water supply.

Water is the source of all life on this planet, yet more than one billion people have it in insufficient supply. Representing this vital element in all our lives are a kaleidoscopic selection of photographs from among others, Nan Goldin, Mario Sorrenti and Fabien Baron, demonstrating both our dependence and our carelessness towards this precious natural supply.

The series of photographs they have compiled are breathtaking in its range of expressionism. They chose the works of Andreas Gursky, Richard Misrach, Mario Sorrenti, Nan Goldin, Mario Testino, and Steve McCurry, among others, to represent this multi-faceted world of water. Against these extraordinary images are set the records of the follies of mankind, the greed, despair and ignorance of the source of life. Again and again, it will leave a bewildered albatross or a seal coated in oil by another Amoco Cadiz that has spilt 250,000 tons of human degradation into the oceans. This is expressed with compelling facts and interviews throughout the book that bring awareness to the threat that our most important element faces today.

Water Culture, reprinted after just one year, is dedicated to The International Year of Freshwater. Jean-Michel Cousteau promoted the book at the World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan. A portion of the sales benefits the Ocean Futures Society.