A multichannel video essay exploring water systems in Paris.

I was intrigued to learn about an experiment from June 2015, when a group of research scientists took to the streets of Paris, toothbrushes in hand, to scrub microbial mats around various sewer grates. They were collecting data to better understand the microbial life in the sewer system, and their findings detailed the rich biodiversity in the running water that takes up a substantial portion of the surface eara of the city. While this research is several years old, there is still a lot to understand about the kind of bacteria and algae that are omnipresent in the sewer system. This has been a major part of the ongoing effort to cleane the Seine, including new infrastructure of storm basins and wastewater treatment plants to prevent harmful bacteria from flowing into the river. Ruminating on these ideas has led me to think about the ways in which water cleans the city, how the city is cleaning its water, what cleanliness is, and how understanding, collecting, and managing water is essential to our collective systems. Exploring the waterways of a city can open up a conversation about what biodiversity looks like in urban spaces.