Beneath The Surface is a splashy celebration and investigation of our everyday drinking WATER. This enlightening and entertaining production features live performances, music and video. There’s even a “What You Can Do!” Carnival to engage and inspire all ages!

Beneath The Surface bubbles up a “Circus of Wonderments,” overflowing with fun, energy and imagination. This is a great way to introduce the children in your life to the issues that face our world about water.

As we prepared Beneath the Surface, Annika Bankston, an engineer with the Minneapolis Water Works wrote:

“Something seems symbolic to me in that the minute a person sees and touches the water from their tap, it begins its journey back to the river. This point of unveiling the water is a culmination of all the infrastructure and effort to make it pristine and it instantly becomes thought of as waste.”

Her comment pierced my heart. Is water ever “waste”? I think not! Water is ESSENTIAL in its work of washing and nourishing the world! Why then do we take it so for granted?

Does the excellent convenience of our city’s water infrastructure help us forget the water and our public service professionals who provide us with clean water? What an irony! And does this perception of water as “waste” lead to the many toxins in daily use that get washed away “somewhere” – “out of sight, out of mind”?

How do I participate in the journey of water through streams, rivers, wells, pipes and bottles towards my own and my neighbor’s inevitable drink? How can I ensure the health of the water we all share?

These are the questions I held as “we” created Beneath the Surface. This “we” refers to a fabulous team of artists, advisors, researchers, organizers – and members of “On the Commons.”

Many thanks! It has been my privilege to work with each and all of you! Thank you for joining us! May our time together “invigorate” discussion, networking, and brainstorming towards the joy and responsibility in caring for the precious gift of Water the moves inside each living cell of our planet. -Sandy Spieler