H2O: Water Bar

Overview

This town's no stranger to glamorous pop-up bars. Over summer we've swung by Bennelong for specialty cocktails on their balcony, visited the MCA for G&Ts in their whimsical gin garden, and sipped chardonnay with our shellfish at Waterman's Lobster Co. pop-up on Bondi Beach. But Sydney's newest temporary tavern is serving the most precious liquid of all: good old H2O.

Set amongst the beautifully restored, subterranean Paddington Reservoir Gardens, the H20: Water Bar is more than just a watering hole. It's a reflective glass art installation by renowned local artist Janet Laurence, and is designed to examine Australia's fragile relationship with our most precious natural resource. Laurence was Australia's representative at an art exhibition at the United Nations climate change conference in Paris last year, where she presented a work that showcased the hectic environmental damage done to the Great Barrier Reef.

Her new installation resembles an apothecary or lab complete with glass beakers and vials, and will serve a number of different drops from various regions around the country. Have you ever noticed how water tastes different from one city to the next? Now you'll be able to compare for yourself. And unlike some trendy pop-up bars, you won't need to worry about forking over your life savings for a drink — entry into the water bar is free.

Alongside the installation itself, Laurence has programmed a raft of water-themed events, including water-focused film screenings, workshops with Sydney Water scientists, water-themed poetry readings, panels of fellow artists unpacking the mystique of water and big discussions from leading environmental groups on the threats to our water sources (coal seam gas, coal, climate change, you name it). Check the website for session times.

If you're a little peckish, Miss Chu will be running a pop-up stall serving fresh rice paper rolls each evening. 

Open Thursdays and weekends 5pm – 9pm.

Image: Josef Nalevansky courtesy of the City of Sydney.