WHEN Japan's Kyoto University started offering courses in high polymer chemistry in the early 1960s, Ichi Ikeda saw a promising future for the technology and became part of the country's first batch of students to undertake research in the field.
But now he wants nothing to do with the industry that produces such materials as styrofoam, nylon and vinyl. 'They pollute the environment today,' he says. 'And I have a responsibility to society [for helping to develop such products].' To expunge his guilt, the 55-year-old engineer-cum-artist became a 'green' activist with a special interest in water. 'I want to do something through art to show the importance of the resource. It is art for the future.' Specifically, it is art for Earth's sake. Using water as his medium, Ikeda creates installations that demonstrate not only the significance of water but also its vitality and unpredictability.
His 'Water Market' exhibition at the gallery 1a:space tries to do even more. It invites viewers to work together as 'water senders' - a loose term for anyone involved in the project who is concerned about the conservation of water - 'sending water to future generations, regardless of cultural, national or religious differences'.
It is part of his aptly titled 'Arcing Ark' project, which includes two outdoor installations at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The focus is a 50-metre bamboo boat called Big Arrow, which points towards the Sai Kung waterfront. Built by local bamboo master Leung Bing-kei and engineering students, it symbolises the 'loading and carrying of water essential for our future'.
Ikeda has an avuncular air that makes him endearing and approachable. He also comes across as a highbrow professor with important concepts to convey. Unfortunately, his message is sometimes lost in the medium, especially when he speaks of new 'networks' and 'systems' he is trying to create through art.
But occasionally he does come down to earth. 'Water is common in daily life - for washing and drinking,' he says. 'Water Market shows other uses of water, that it can be used to connect us all.' To demonstrate this, he links photographs of 60 'water senders' (30 from Japan, the rest from Hong Kong) with thin, transparent hoses, creating a dynamic effect that resembles the human circulatory system. Ikeda includes a photo of each participant's face, drenched in water. Below is a shot of his/her hands cupping water ('the hands communicate the message 'please pass on this water to the future',' he says) and at the bottom is a picture of the sender's feet, symbolising action.
The water carried through the tubes starts from plastic bottles and ends in pails, which contain messages viewers are urged to read. But the notes beneath the bubbles neither seek to educate nor persuade. Nowhere are there any World Bank predictions about water scarcity or scientific facts.