"The Water Mother" is a poetic retelling of the Chinese myth of the water goddess Shuimu Niangniang (水母娘娘). The tale exists in many forms, but at its core, a young woman is forbidden by her mother-in-law from dealing with the water carriers and must instead travel to the well herself. The woman finds a way to obtain the water magically (usually by striking a magical pail), but she overuses the magic and becomes a water goddess. The tale ends with the daughter-in-law either drowning the villages in magical water, or becoming the source of a neverending spring.

This modern retelling, however, tranposes elements of the Water Mother tale over elements the Fukushima nuclear disaster, including poisoned waters, and the attempts by scientists to explore and clean the plant using various robotics.

The visuals are meant to express a retrofuturistic vibe that represents the dual observation of past and present.

The piece is accompanied by AI art that was generated using Conjure.art.