Sydney’s latest must-visit tasting bar is serving something more precious than vintage French bubbles or Japanese whiskey: our natural water supply.

H2O: Water Bar is a reflective, glassy glistening installation by Janet Laurence that allows you to sample a variety of water sourced from diverse regions of Australia.

Outfitted like an apothecary or laboratory, H2O: Water Bar is set amongst the heritage industrial space of the Paddington Reservoir Gardens’ inner chamber, opened to the public especially for this installation.

Australia’s identity is forever tied to our relationship with water, from the waterholes used as weapons during the colonial era, to the long droughts that affect our regional communities, and the environmental threats to the future of Australia’s ground water. By inviting you to experience the qualities of different Australian waters, H2O: Water Bar helps us to better understand the complexity and fragility of this vital resource.

Alongside the Water Bar is a series of diverse talks, discussions and performances for you to learn more about Water:

Saturday 13 February – Poetry performance & discussion: The Language of Water

Sunday 14 February – Artists Discussion: Representing Water

Thursday 18 February – Discussion: Bubbling Up

Saturday 20 February – Discussion: A City Formed Around Water

Sunday 21 February – Debate: The Greatest Asset we have is Coal / Water

Thursday 25 February – Discussion: The Future of Water

Saturday 27 February – Talk: The Aboriginal Cultural Value of Water

Sunday 28 February – Music Performance: Waterloops

The Family Program presented by Sydney Water runs each Saturday from 3pm – 5pm. Spaces are limited, booking essential.

The installation is created by Janet Laurence, a Sydney artist whose international practice examines our physical, cultural and conflicting relationship to the natural world. Janet is the Australian representative for the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference exhibition.

H2O: Water Bar will be the hip new watering hole that’s got all of Sydney talking – so join in the conservation conversation.

Visit the Janet Laurence website and Janet Laurence Instagram.