As part of the Aqua Vitae programme, curated by Lýdia Pribišová for Trenčín, European Capital of Culture 2026, artists Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas engage the two primary alchemical elements of water and fire in Disaster Fountain, a participatory installation that transforms firefighting equipment into a climate-responsive fountain.
Developed in collaboration with the volunteer firefighters of Opatovce, the project reimagines fire hoses, nozzles and firefighting technologies as an environment that cools public space while inviting playful public participation. Flowing water animates the fountain, generating acoustic resonances, cooling mist and ever-changing fluid formations that visitors can experience directly.
Inspired by the mysterious fifteenth-century Voynich Manuscript, the sculptural forms evoke its enigmatic imagery of plants, baths and hydraulic systems while simultaneously referencing the firefighters’ instrumentarium. Water becomes a medium of movement, energy and collective encounter, while the firefighters’ expertise grounds the work in a subtle dialogue between water and fire, infrastructure and play.
Concept: Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas (Lithuania / USA)
Design Collaboration: Dimitrios Moutafidis (Greece)
Collaborating Firefighters: Volunteer Firefighters of Opatovce
Production: Simonas Šidlauskas (Lithuania)
Fabrication Consultant: Artūras Burneika (Lithuania)
Curator: Lýdia Pribišová
Project Manager: Veronika Juricová
Producer: Trenčín 2026 – European Capital of Culture
Image render: Dimitrios Moutafidis © the authors
