Mary Miss/City as Living Laboratory created a series of installations for StreamLines along five major waterways in Indianapolis. The theme for the site at Pogue’s Run was “Tamed Water” and explored water infrastructure. Topics at the site included precipitation, infrastructure, impervious surface, combined sewer, buried stream and grey water.

Water is crucial to the functioning of our cities: for transport, drinking, and industrial uses. But it can be a nuisance as well, such as during a flood. We have designed elaborate ways to direct water where we want it and redirect unwanted water to build towns and cities unimpeded by streams or rainfall. One of the most extreme examples in Indianapolis is at Pogue’s Run, a former woodland stream that has been partially diverted into an underground tunnel for over a mile before it spills into the White River west of downtown, so that the grid of city streets and buildings could be built over the stream.

StreamLines was an interactive, place-based project that merged the sciences and the arts to advance the community’s understanding and appreciation of Indianapolis’ waterways. This work was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation and was modeled on the City as Living Laboratory/FRAMEWORK. StreamLines featured a collection of installations along Indianapolis’ waterways and adjacent greenspaces inviting the community to learn, explore and experience the science of local water systems through visual art, poetry, dance and music. StreamLines was administered by the Center for Urban Ecology at Butler University. For more information, visit StreamLines.org or on social media as @StreamLinesIndy.