Towards a Global Network of Water Museums A Common Heritage for a Sustainable Future Palazzo Zorzi, Venice, Italy. 2-4 May 2017

1. WATER
MUSEUMS
Global Network
International Workshop, Venice 2 – 4 May 2017
In cooperation with Endorsed by

2. Prof. Ethnology and Heritage Program
Laval University, Quebec (Canada)
Habib.saidi@hst.ulaval.ca
Habib Saidi
Water Heritage
and the potential of
Water Museum in
Québec, Canada
Catherine Charron
M.A. student, Ethnology and Heritage Program
Laval University, Quebec (Canada)
catherine.charron.4@ulaval.ca

3. 3
Table of Contents
Part 1
Museum project Description
Part 2
Water and Millenium Development Goals
Part 3
Global Network: our Expectations

4. 4
Before the Museum of Water :
Québec (and Canada) as an Open-
air Water Museum
Part 1
St. Lawrence River, measures more than 2,000 kilometers
long, is one of the largest rivers in the world;
Cities (and by the way museums) in the Province of Quebec
have all emerged around this River, and also around the
other 3000 more small rivers, and one could say around the
11000 streams duly listed in the country.
That is to say that water was in the heart of the life in
Québec and in Canada, life in its several dimensions:
cosmology, mythology, economy, ecology, culture,
agriculture, transportation, intra and inter-relationship with the
World, etc.
Water is also the main feature of the whole landscape in
Québec: water either in its frozen form as snow and ice or in
its fluid and liquid form as rivers and lakes.

5. 5
Before the Museum of Water : Liquid
Heritage for Fluid musems
In Québec, the links between the past and the
present as well as the links between a region and
another are articulated around the water.
In other words, water rythmes the whole time-
space of the country and makes its history looks
like a great mosaïc of watered, or liquid heritages
that could give the birth of several fluid museums
covering several memories related to water :
architecture, legend, rituals, collective imaginary,
collective dreams, collective Self, etc.

6. Part 1
Water as Heritage: Diversity as a
condition of Unity and vice versa.
That is why we propose the concept of The Heritage of
Water or Water as Heritage. In fact, water as Heritage can
illustrate the holistic approach of Heritage witch include all
the aspects of the past as actualized in present: tangible,
intangible, cultural, natural, symbolic, scientific,
technological, etc.
Heritage has to be understood here as an ecosystem
where the Human Unity is conditioned by the
(bio)diversity of the World and vice versa
6

7. 7
The particular case of Québec
In the Quebec cultural and social context, the concept of
Water Heritage can be based in a network of Para-water
museums:
Maritime Museums of Quebec: Naval Museum of
Quebec, Maritime Museum of Charlevoix, Maritime
Historic Site of Pointe-au-Père, Maritime Parc of
Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean : all those museum are
geographically are located around Rivers.
The main objective of the Water Museum Project of
Quebec is to establish a federated water memories
(virtual at first) that convert the collections of these
Water/Maritime museums into one share entity.

8. 8
Manageed by an existing and important museum, the Musée de
la Civilisation du Québec, the project of Water Museum of
Quebec is to set up a virtual share environment where all Water
institutions and Water museums of Quebec (and why not of
Canada) can implement common exhibitions, and share
common collections and activities.
The Musée de la Civilisation du Québec, the host museum of the
project, is perfectly suited to take on this unifying role as a
national and versatile museum. Its collections on water are very
rich in this sense, as evidenced by numerous exhibitions that
have carried, near or far, on the St. Lawrence River.
The specific architecture of the Museum and its location very
close to the old Port, will attribute to the future virtual museum a
prestigious feature. It will also facilitate its reception by visitors.
The Water Museum Project of
Quebec : The Vision
Part 1

9. Three Networks in three steps
According to our Vision, the future Water Museum will constitute an axis of convergence
witch will connect 3 levels of Water Museums Networks. 1.Quebec Water Museums
Network on the provincial level 2. Canadian Water Museums Network on the national
level. 3.International Water Museums Network on the universal level.
9

10. 10
Exhibitions
The Main Programs
Virtuals exhibitions, with possibilities to collaborate with
Water Museums all around the world : Spain, Italy,
France, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and other countries
where IPAC establishes dialogues for several years.
Among the themes envisaged for these exhibitions, let us
think especially of the various professions related to
water (sailors, fishermen, shipbuilding craftsmen, etc.)
and traditional know-how that would benefit from a
good visibility of the web.

11. 11
Part 1
Training and Education
With the contribution of the Center for Water Research
(CentrEau) of Université Laval, the Quebec Water Museum will
be able to set up training courses for various audiences and
various aspects of water. One thinks of its integrated
management, the system of purification, maritime archeology, the
oral stories on the water or the marine biology.
The Water Museum Project of Quebec want to become the hub
of educations and training for students and professional of
Heritage, Water, Tourism, etc.

12. SUBHEAD
The Asequias Water Values and
Knowleges Network
Concrete contribution for a short time plan
12
The Asequia is not only an infrastructure to distribute
water between farmers or to irrigate the ground. It is also
a Whole system of Values and Knowleges that irrigates
the mind and the sprite of the Social Body= The collective
Self.
This system also travels over the space and the time:
from the Mesopotamia, To the Maghreb, To Europe
(Spain and Portugal), and To America….And by the way
from the Antiquity, to the Modernity until our time.
This Water Heritage is an excellent
representation/incarnation of what should be a
common/shared World Heritage in nowadays.

13. 13
International Summer School
That is why our Institute (the IPAC) proposes to
organize an international summer school in
copperation with partners who will be interested to
participate/contribute to the implementation of the
Asequias Network.
Hilighted by the values of Water Heritage as
quoted before, the Summer School will have as
main objective to gather ideas, experiences and
efforts to start operation of the Water Museum
Network (WMN). This Summer School could
helded as a first step of a series of sessions of
Training that benefit for students and professional
working in WMN. We can envisage in a asecond
step the imlementation of a training program
Witch deliver certification (diploma)
In the Mangement of Water Museums.

14. Being headed by the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Laval
University, the Quebec Water Museum Project will already
be included in the Laval Program to raise awareness on
water and sustainable development. Laval University
already positioned itself as a leader in Sustainable
Development movement.
Being partner with de Center for Water Research (CentrEau)
of Laval University, the Quebec Water Museum Project will
therefore become a platform for research on Water
sustainable development and diffusion of research on the
subject.
Water Tourism become a possibility to develop through the
Water Museum Project.
Water and Millennium
Development Goals
Part 2
14

15. Global Network : our Expectations
Part 3
15
Education program (summer classes) for students all
around the World that is interested in Water heritage;
Shared publications that emerge from international
Seminar, that included young searchers and students
(providing opportunities for new academics);
Putting together small but various founds for specific
project;
Not only create a share web site, but also a shared
Intranet (professional and collaborative web
environment) that allow to bring documentations of
various institutions together in folders, files, etc.
Exchanges between the partners and actors.

16. Global Network : the Advantages
Part 3
16
Being a part of Water Museum Network, for us, is for
one thing being connected with various institutions
around the world that deals with similar challenges.
The Network provide visibility, which is a major issue
to raise awareness about water values in our
communities.
The Network provide more opportunities to
collaborate with members of the Network for
publications, seminar, etc.
The Network help students to discover New Water
fields or interest for Water Heritage Studies (Egypt,
Morocco, Mexico, etc.)

17. Outputs and Challenges
17
• Necessity of founding;
• Necessity of research on Water museums and on
water local history;
• Necessity of putting together a new web site with
new partners;
• Necessity of putting together a working team;
• Find solution to connect with the public and
create a dynamic of exchanges of knowledge and
story about water local history;
• Build a web site that ages well in time and
remains accessible to all;
• Create a recognizable and unique image of
margins, allowing the development of a sense of
belonging.

18. Thank you
Habib Saidi, Laval University
Québec, Canada
Habib.saidi@hst.ulaval.ca
18