In April this year, we had a new well drilled. We had many iteratinos of water ideas, water collections, up until last year, we had 2k litres of water delivered by tractor to the Ranch during the summer sessions, when we ran out, sometimes midnight, sometimes rationing water use to understand the scarcity of water on a global level, its vulnerability and sometimes excesses we use when in the city versus in the rural countryside.
As we planned our project strategies in the spring for the Summer Events, conversations were had, and our LT Ranch Trustee, Chris Butler and Yolanta Gaivenyte-Butler in discussion with Stasys Skliaustis offered to sponsor a new well. Paperwork was done, a company was appointed, and in a matter of a few weekends, a small blue plastic cap above the earth in the landscape was the only trace of a 51m deep, 125mm diameter bore.
The Geological Museum in Vievis is dedicated to minerals, archaeological and geological histories of Lithuania and the surrounding region, including bore samples.
During the 'Stogine' project and subsequent Summer Session 16 we felt suddenly glamorous as water ran out of the tap at a good pace. We filled drinking bottles with water directly from the earth's refrigerator as the taste and quality was clear and pure.
The participants and visitors who had been to the Summer Sessions since its early years, expected to run buckets from the well, check water levels in the 2k tank, or on some occasions get stuck in the shower with a full soapy lather as water ran dry, listen to the pump under the kitchen sink start-up during the night, when pressure dropped. This year we slept in silence. There was a level of nostalgia nonetheless for these moments. The old wells still contain enough water for outdoor hand washing and linked nicely to Gemma La Rocca's 'Washing Hands' project from this summer's session and numerous conversations were ongoing how to engage with these trusting early monitors of the water table.
The idea of a manhole cover, was inspired by a conversation with Colin Priest, to celebrate this nearly invisible source and inscribe a commemorative illustration to cover this outcrop, first for safety but also in the spirit of the Ranch mark this event, signing authors (TAKT- dis-mantling of Barn 2, 2009) and gestures to mark our sponsors and supporters (Barn 2B, 2011-5). We hope to, over the winter months develop ideas for this practical yet decorative thank you plaque.
With heartfelt thanks to this new source of water in the meanwhile.