In London, located at Observation Point, on the banks of the Thames and near Waterloo station, there is an ornamental fountain that expels dirty water, instead of the clean one that would be assumed for this type of street furniture. Water comes out of the mouths of a dozen statues that seem to be vomiting, and above them, the figure of a businessman wasting banknotes.
It is the way in which the British television network Channel 4 is promoting its new series “Dirty Business”, which premiered on Monday, February 23 and is based on a ten-year investigation into wastewater discharges carried out by water management companies in England. Throughout three chapters, it tells the real stories of complainants and victims who claim that their lives have been destroyed after encountering contaminated water.
Fountain statues reflect real sewage victims
The installation is titled “The Fountain of Filth” and was designed by in-house agency 4Creative. It is active between February 23 and 25 and features a monumental fountain 10 meters wide and has different statues that imitate bronze and have been created using 3D printing. Some of the faces belong to real people, such as former national surfing champion Sophie Hellyer and prominent journalist and outdoor swimming guide Ella Foote.
The installation includes a QR code on its lacquer that encourages visitors to discover “The sick truth behind Britain’s sewage scandalIt leads to a series of audiovisual pieces where users can explore the stories of those affected in interviews specially carried out for the promotional campaign.
As Channel 4 explains, the fountain has been designed to make visible the heartbreaking human cost of the wastewater crisis in the country. The artistic proposal seeks to be “a disgusting reflection of the real experiences of those who believe they have become ill from exposure to contaminated water” and “a symbolic reference to the deficiencies of water companies”.
To amplify the impact of the installation, Channel 4 has created audiovisual pieces together with the directors’ collective Glue Society and the production company Biscuit Filmworks. In addition to a short video showing the details of the fountain, the network has published an hour-long video with the sound of water, ironically emulating relaxing music videos.
The intention of the campaign has been to generate conversation around the problem. “We wanted to take something as familiar as a public fountain and turn it into a national talking point. It is provocative by nature“said David Wigglesworth, Executive Creative Director of 4Creative, in a statement.”Dirty Business confronts the harsh reality behind Britain’s sewage scandal, and ‘The Fountain of Filth’ brings it to light”.
In addition, the campaign includes other activations. Channel 4 has also activated advertising vans that have circulated in front of the headquarters of some water companies with messages warning them to prepare for scrutiny. Others will appear on beaches where water companies have dumped wastewater with questions like “Would you swim here?”
“Dirty Business” stars David Thewlis, Jason Watkins, Asim Chaudhry, Tom McKay and Posy Sterling; and produced by Halcyon’s Heart.
Here you can see the trailer of the series:
