Water is the most every day of substances. It pours from our taps and falls from the sky. We drink it, wash with it, and couldn’t live without it. Yet, on closer examination it is also a very strange substance (it is one of only a very small number of molecules which expand when cooled). Look closer again and water reveals itself as a key to a scientific story on the biggest of canvases.

Water is crucial to our survival – life depends on it – but it was also fundamental in the origins of life on Earth. The millions of gallons of water which make up our rivers, lakes and oceans, originated in outer space. How it arrived here and how those molecules of water were formed, is a story which takes us back to the beginning of the universe. Indeed, we know more about the depths of space than we do about the furthest reaches of the oceans.

Water has also shaped the world we live in. Whether it is by gently carving the Grand Canyon over millennia, or in shaping how civilisations were built, we have settled our cities along rivers and coasts. Scientific studies show how we feel calmer and more relaxed when next to water. We holiday by the seas and lakes. Yet one day soon wars may be fought over access to water.

Alok Jha tells the story of water, taking us from the Big Bang to the latest developments of modern science.

Booking

Book online or contact Watershed, Bristol on: 0117 927 5100. There are no extra charges for online or phone ticket purchases at Watershed. Refunds are only available if an event is cancelled.

Events start punctually and, out of consideration to other audience members and speakers, our policy is not to admit or issue refunds to latecomers. Please allow enough time to collect your ticket/s from the relevant box office (if these haven’t already been posted to you), and make sure to arrive before the advertised start time to take your seat/s. Refunds are usually only available if an event is cancelled: check the policy of the individual venue. The Festival of Ideas endeavours to hold its events in venues that are accessible to all, but if you have specific access concerns it is advisable to contact the venue direct. We sometimes film and photograph Festival of Ideas events. Please let us know if you do not wish to be filmed or photographed. ‌ 

This event is run in association with Bristol Festival of Ideas, the Cabot Institute at the University of Bristol and Bristol 2015.