World Water Day
Friday, March 20–Sunday, March 22, 2026
Join us for World Water Day, a multi-day program exploring environmental challenges affecting water and ecosystems through art, science, and interactive experiences.
Through installations and discovery stations, reflect on the complex relationship between industry, ecology, and community. From immersive digital environments to hands-on scientific exploration, these experiences highlight both the fragility and resilience of the natural world while encouraging dialogue about our shared responsibility to protect it.
Microplastics Discovery Station
Ages: All ages
Price: Free
Location: Outside the Education Centre
Date: Sunday, March 22
Hours: 11 am–5 pm
Take a closer look at the hidden world of microplastics — one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges. At this interactive discovery station, explore water samples using microscopes and speak directly with York University scientists studying how microscopic plastic particles move through aquatic ecosystems.
Learn how these nearly invisible fragments enter rivers, lakes, and oceans, and discover the innovative techniques researchers are using to detect them.
Particulate Matter × Midge Swarm
Interactive Projection Installation
Price: Free
Location: Bellerive Room
Dates: March 20–22
Hours: 10 am–5:30 pm
Particulate Matter × Midge Swarm explores two immersive digital environments reflecting on the relationship between industry, ecosystems, and community.
In Particulate Matter, visitors use a throttle controller to shift a digital screen of smog, gradually revealing an industrial landscape of refineries and flare stacks accompanied by layered soundscapes of sirens, local voices, and archival media.
In contrast, Midge Swarm introduces a vibrant wetland ecosystem. As participants move through the space, their presence animates swarms of digital insects among birds and cattails, evoking the resilience of life within fragile habitats.
Together, the projections offer an opportunity to reflect on environmental change, ecological resilience, and the systems that shape our relationship with the natural world.
The installation was created by Peripheral Visions Lab, an interdisciplinary arts and research collective working at the intersection of digital media, environmental themes, and immersive storytelling.
Workshops
World Water Day programming at the Aga Khan Museum is presented in partnership with the Global Water Academy at York University.
The Global Water Academy, at York University, advances research, training, and knowledge sharing on water sustainability. Through this partnership, the Aga Khan Museum and York University support greater public awareness of water systems, environmental stewardship, and the importance of protecting freshwater resources.
World Water Day programming is presented in partnership with
Particulate Matter × Midge Swarm is supported by
Government Partners
