Pooseum of Modern (f)Art to make its return

AFTER a successful debut during Geelong Design Week, Barwon Water’s Pooseum of Modern (f)Art will make its return during the school holidays.

From January 6, the educational pop-up display, which aims to educate the community about what happens when the wrong items end up in toilets and drains, will be open twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, between 9.30am and 12 noon.

Barwon Water general manager of smart and sustainable infrastructure David Snadden said the organisation was thrilled with the response to the Pooseum, with great visitor numbers backed by overwhelmingly positive feedback.

More than 1,200 visitors visited the display during Geelong Design Week.

“Young families had a great time playing, interacting and creating in the space, and we regularly heard that people were keen to make repeat visits,” Mr Snadden said.

“Opening throughout the school holidays provides a free and fun activity for kids of all ages, that is both entertaining and educational.”

Kids of all ages will once again be able to walk and crawl through the tunnels and arches of a large-scale 3D art piece by Norlane’s The Indirect Object that mimics a gigantic life-size sewer blockage known as a “fatberg”.

A fatberg occurs when products that should not be flushed or washed down the drain, such as sanitary items and food waste, bind together to form a rock-like mass.

Barwon Water has this year responded to multiple fatberg incidents and removes, on average, 28 tonnes of rubbish from the sewer system each month – the equivalent weight of six elephants.

The Indirect Object’s Beth McMahon said she was excited by the fatberg’s potential to engage young audiences, with visitors also able to add their own touches to the art piece.

It is already almost 7m long, more than 2m wide and more than 1.5m tall.

“The fatberg is a way of using play and design to promote community awareness of something that’s important,” Ms McMahon said.

“Play, curiosity, discovery; that is the foundation of how young children learn.”

The fatberg is joined by an interactive installation by Melbourne-based artist Callum Preston that places Barwon Water’s wastewater system in the spotlight, along with a wide range of free play areas, crafts, colouring-in materials and quizzes.

The Pooseum of Modern f(Art) is located at Barwon Water’s Ryrie Street site and can be reached via Aitchison Place.

From February 6, the Pooseum will be open for weekly sessions between 9.30am and 10.30am.

School and kindergarten bookings for Term 1 and 2 can be made by emailing [email protected]

Small groups and families do not need to book.