UCLA 2

The Pando Mobile Water Lab is a series of photographic storytelling workshops to rethink our relationship to the life force on which all life depends: water. The Lab expands from its Los Angeles base to move along the Colorado River waterways that nourish California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Mexico with the aim of fostering partnerships and collaborations with 200+ stakeholders from community colleges, indigenous tribes, and local/state/federal/foreign agencies. It functions as a grassroots, art and design preamble to the national discussion set to begin at the end of 2026, when Colorado River water allocations and management, known as the “Law of the River,” will be renegotiated. The Lab leverages the power of contemporary photography and community-engaged practices to co-create stories about the life that water brings to our homes, cities, and regions. Each workshop is a concentrated learning opportunity in contemporary photography, design, editing, and storytelling and will be archived in a collaborative book whose range of voices will amplify water’s centrality for a thriving U.S. Southwest in the 21st century.

Faculty Lead:
Yogan Muller

Aligned LA County Sustainability Plan Goals:
Goal 1: Resilient and healthy community environments where residents thrive in place.

Book Preview