KARTHIC LABS

The first thing you see is shelf after shelf of plain glass bottles all containing different colored liquids. Some of the liquids are clear, and others whitish, yellowish, brownish, greenish, or almost black. The colors change daily, as does the consistency, and whatever is growing inside.

All of the liquids are exactly the same thing - water. To be specific, they are examples of the 1 percent of the world's water that is available - and deemed suitable - for human consumption. These samples are displayed at the start of "1% Water and Our Future," an exhibition at Z33, a design and art gallery in the Belgian city of Hasselt, which explores our relationship to water, and how design can help us to use it more responsibly and productively.

"There is growing concern about the scarcity of water, and the need to save it, but in many countries, it's still taken for granted as something that pours out of the tap," said Jane Withers, who co-curated the exhibition with Ilse Crawford. "People think of water as a clear, neutral product that always looks the same. It doesn't, because it's a living thing, as the samples show. We hope that once people realize this, they'll consider using water more pleasurably as well as more thoughtfully."