{"id":2693,"date":"2025-10-24T08:20:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=2693"},"modified":"2025-10-24T08:20:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T15:20:06","slug":"lo-tek-water-wants-to-reshape-the-world-through-indigenous-technologies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=2693","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Lo\u2014TEK Water\u2019 Wants to Reshape the World Through Indigenous Technologies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u2018Lo\u2014TEK<\/p>\n

From record-breaking droughts and catastrophic flash floods to contaminated pipelines and increasingly thirsty AI farms<\/a>, water is at the nexus of the climate crisis. The life-giving liquid is both scarce and too abundant<\/a>, causing half the global population to lack sustained access to fresh drinking water, while much of the world is subject to hotter, wetter weather that subsumes communities with extreme conditions.<\/p>\n

For designer, author, and activist Julia Watson<\/a>, pinpointing myriad approaches to these all-consuming problems is one of the most critical and urgent tasks today. Her new book Lo-TEK Water<\/em><\/a>, published by Taschen, highlights various Indigenous technologies and aquatic systems that could be utilized in adapting to a climate-changed world. <\/p>\n

\"an
Toby Harriman, Ye-chan Floating Islands of the Intha, Myanmar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are the two-meter-deep canals of Xochimilco, Mexico, which delineate 55,000 square meters of raised fields called chinampas<\/em>. While built by the Aztecs to clean the water and irrigate crops, this system actually originated with the Nahua people. Similar are the floating islands of Intha Myanmar, which weave together roots, leaves, sediment, and other materials to create hydroponic beds.<\/p>\n

Although Watson is keen to draw on ancient practices that could be more widely utilized today, she also highlights more modern approaches, like Pakistan\u2019s Yasmeen Lari, an architect who\u2019s responsible for devising the world\u2019s largest program for creating shelters and cookware that leave no carbon footprint.<\/p>\n

At 558 pages, Lo\u2014TEK Water<\/em> positions \u201cwater as an intelligent force that can shape resilient cities and landscapes. Aquatic infrastructure is reframed\u2014from extractive and industrial into regenerative and evolving\u2014designed to sustain life for generations,\u201d a statement says.<\/p>\n

Watson is a key voice in the broader Lo\u2014TEK<\/a> movement, and this new book is a companion to her previous volume<\/a> focused on sustainable technologies. Find your copy on Bookshop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"an
Mark Lee, Loko i\u2018a Fishponds of the Native Hawaiians, Hawai\u2019i<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a<\/figure>\n
\"a
Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, Zero-carbon Chulah Cookstove by Yasmeen Lari<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
Valentina Rocco, Valli da Pesca Dikes, Ponds, and Canals of the Venetians, Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
Valentina Rocco, Valli da Pesca Dikes, Ponds, and Canals of the Venetians, Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
FAO\/Shizuoka Wasabi Association for Important Agricultural Heritage System Promotion Japan, Tatami-ishi Terracing System of the Japanese, Japan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a<\/figure>\n
\"a
Simon Bourcier, Bouchot Mussel Trestles of the Bretons and Normans, France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Simon Bourcier, Bouchot Mussel Trestles of the Bretons and Normans, France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"the<\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article \u2018Lo\u2014TEK Water\u2019 Wants to Reshape the World Through Indigenous Technologies<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From record-breaking droughts and catastrophic flash floods to contaminated pipelines and increasingly thirsty AI farms, water is at the nexus of the climate crisis. The life-giving liquid is both scarce…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2693\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}