Wrapping water

In summer 2014, more than 150 of New York City’s iconic water tanks began playing host to artwork by acclaimed artists as well as by the city’s public school students. The work was wrapped around rooftop water tanks across the city to call attention to the global water crisis and celebrate art.

Large-format digital printing shop Duggal Visual Solutions of New York created the wraps, printing 27 different artistic works on UltraMesh® Supreme material made by Ultraflex Systems Inc., Randolph, N.J. The company used water-based latex inks and an HP LX 3000 printer. All told, Duggal produced around 40,000 square feet of wrap.

Once printed, the works were wrapped around each tank and tied on “like a girdle,” to meet the city’s specification for attaching signage, says Mary Jordan, who founded the project after spending time in Ethiopia, where women who cared for her when she became ill asked her to tell the world about their biggest issue—the lack of available drinkable/potable water.

Because each tank is unique, the dimensions of each piece of artwork varied, though roughly the works measured from around 670 feet wide by 188 feet tall to around 500 feet wide by 116 feet tall.

All over New York City heads are turning upward to view the artists’ work and to appreciate the easy access city residents have to clean water.