"Water Bubbles", water in Paris in 2050 in comic strip

During the call for projects for Eau de Paris' first participatory budget in the fall of 2023, a collective of 3 associations proposed the creation of a fictional comic strip on water in Paris in 2050 by bringing together students or young workers with Eau de Paris employees and experts on water issues in Paris. The goal? To put water at the heart of the thinking of these future social, economic and why not political actors in the capital, to invite them to project their vision of water and the public water service in Paris in the future. 

The idea was accepted and about twenty volunteers joined the collective. Recruited on social networks, they live and work in the capital, studying engineering, design, architecture, geography, social sciences and communication.  

A project sponsored by hydrologist Emma Haziza 

The collective, led by the Imaginarium-s association, specializing in the creation of anticipatory stories, also includes Université + and Epicerie séquencelle. The latter brings together professional cartoonists from the famous drawing school Emile Cohl. Emma Haziza, doctor in hydrology, specialist in systemic disruptions of the planetary water cycle, and voice of water in the media, agrees to be the patron of the project. 

Volunteers meet for a weekend to immerse themselves in the world of water in Paris. They discover the capital's drinking and non-drinking water supply system, geothermal energy, shower baths, how sewers work, etc. Another weekend is dedicated to learning the mechanisms of comics. 

From their imagination are born six stories - to be discovered online - which do not tell of a future where technology and Artificial Intelligence dominate but a future where citizens are at the heart of a takeover of water. Two screenwriters and six cartoonists then take up these scenarios to arrive at this exciting collective work presented on December 12, 2024 at Eau de Paris. A real life experience, civic and friendly, both for the young people and for the experts and employees of Eau de Paris who accompanied them throughout this collective adventure.   

Warm thanks to…

To the 23 young people from Bulles d'eau for their unwavering commitment to the project! Lou Avice, Inès Boufrayoua, Marine Brunier, Gabin Cellerier, Axel Chevet, Charlotte Carles, Fanny Eliot, Dora Faliez, Egor Ferrero, Thibaut Gama, Mame Bineta Gaye, Maëlle Jeanty, Alexandre Kuhn, Jeoffrey Lavigne, Charlotte Lourmes, Juliette Masson, Octave Masson, Omar Morales, Florencia Ostuni, Mathieu Pierronne, Rosalie Pierre, Benjamin Sagroun, Mathilde Silvert. 

To the project leaders, Hervé Chaygneau-Dupuy, Sarah Bastien and Emile Hooge of Imaginarium-s, Olivier and Tam Jouvray of Epicerie séquencelle, Daniel Kaplan and Juliette Grossmann of Université + 

To Emma Haziza, project sponsor, hydrogeologist and speaker, member of the Eau de Paris Board of Directors 

To the illustrators Camille Mertz, KiWeen, Maxence Texerault, Marianne Tesseraud, Morgane Lehoux, Laure Delor. 

To the experts who guided the young people: Bilel Afrit, Frédéric Bertrand, Léon Garaix, Florence Leblond, Mounia Bouali.

To the employees of Eau de Paris who have passed on their knowledge and their vision of their profession: Nicolas Alizon, Arnaud Bertrand, Didier Cannet, Pascal Conseil, Elise Deroy, Grégory Lallemand, Théo Leguillon, Ludovic Robillard, Florence Soupizet, Elisabeth Thiéblemont, Geneviève Saulus, Claude Vignaud,

To Dan Lert, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of ecological transition, climate plan, water and energy - President of Eau de Paris, at the origin of the participatory budget of Eau de Paris: "It is with this kind of initiative that we are making things move. Thank you to this new generation for this great project and happy reading."