The fountain was built to show the impact of Britain’s sewage scandal
A striking fountain has appeared at London’s South Bank showing people ‘throwing up’ leaving people confused. ‘The Fountain of Filth’ as it has been dubbed was erected to highlight Britain’s sewage scandal.
The 10 metre-wide fountain is open to public showing the effect of sewage in our waterways. Within the fountain, bronze-like statues of men, women, and children appear to vomit murky brown water, a reflection of the real experiences of those who believe they were made ill by exposure to waterways polluted with untreated sewage. At the top of the statue stands a businessman with a briefcase filled with cash.
The fountain was created by Channel 4’s inhouse agency 4Creative to go along with their show Dirty Business, a factual drama inspired by real human stories who said their lives were impacted by exposure to waterways polluted with untreated sewage.
David Wigglesworth, Executive Creative Director, 4Creative, said: “We wanted to take something as familiar as a public fountain and turn it into a national talking point. It’s provocative by design. Dirty Business confronts the grim reality behind Britain’s sewage scandal, and The Fountain of Filth forces it into the open.”
Reddit users were quick to commend the fountain. One wrote: “That’s beautiful. Horrible obviously. but great..” Another wrote: “The fact that something as necessary to life as water can be ran for profit is bad enough but to then maximise profits by poisoning the country is literally criminal. Or at least it would be if they weren’t being aided and abetted by a government body.”
On X, users reacted to a tweet by user Paul Powlesand, a climate campaigner, replying: “This should go on tour.. in every city, & with it a huge promotional prog. to gather signatures to bring this terrible situation to a head & demand accountability and change. If folk find it unpalatable looking at this then tough !! Watch the series. It’s powerful & worrying”
The series is based on a decade-long investigation into England’s water companies, and tells the real stories of whistle-blowers and victims who believe their lives have been destroyed after encountering sewage polluted water.
Nic Moran, Head of Marketing at Channel 4, said: “The sick truth about Britain’s sewage scandal is hiding in plain sight and our marketing campaign for Dirty Business makes it impossible to ignore. We have put the human cost at the forefront and told the real stories behind the public health crisis.”
Dirty Business aired on Channel 4 on Monday 23 February at 9pm, and will continues tonight (Tuesday) at 9pm before the final episode on Wednesday (February 25). The installation can be found at Observation Point, on the South between the OXO Tower and National Theatre until Wednesday February 25.
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