Artist Janet Laurence has created the H2O water bar at Paddington Reservoir Gardens which opens on Saturday night. The water is sourced from around the eastern states of Australia. Picture: Justin Lloyd

But before you say H2-Oh no!, the driving force behind the project, Sydney artist Janet Laurence, says punters should give it a go. And they may even be surprised. Ms Laurence told news.com.au the all-natural waters, unsullied by additives, could give fine wines or even Champagnes a run for their money.

“I would say that they’re better than Champagne because Champagne has been cultivated but these waters are completely natural. They’ve been in the ground for 50 — 60,000 years and they have the most amazing history.”

The H20: Water Bar will open for a limited time from Saturday situated deep in the bowels of Sydney’s award-winning Paddington Reservoir Gardens. Once the hole that held water for a growing city, now it is a watering hole once more.

Paddington Reservoir Gardens, the former source of Sydney’s potable water, will play host to the H@O: Water Bar.Source:Supplied

“It’s going to be beautiful,” said Ms Laurence. “You will walk through the garden and then enter into the inner chamber where you will find a glistening glass laboratory with lots of flasks of water, which people in white coats will then serve, like sommeliers, pouring the various waters into test tubes.”

All the waters come from the east coast of Australia, from areas including the Snowy Mountains and Macedon Ranges, and the selection includes groundwater, rain water and even a cheeky little drop from a Sydney dam.

“There is a really beautiful rain water from Tasmania that is said to be the best water in Australia,” said Ms Laurence. “It’s from Cape Grim and they only collect the water when the winds blow in from the Antarctic or South Africa so it contains no pollution.”

Another favourite is from Mount Warning in northern NSW, which has a distinct mineral kick due to the cooper and zinc in the liquid. Ms Laurence acknowledged that the variance in taste might be subtle “but because you’re comparing them side-by-side you can experience the difference”.

Tasmania’s Cape Grim, reportedly the home of some of Australia’s finest rain water. Picture; Supplied.Source:News Limited

Before you ponder too long whether or not a water bar is a viable business model in the long term, it’s worth noting it’s not designed to make a profit. In fact all the water, whatever its origin, is free as the bar is actually an exhibit and one part of the City of Sydney’s annual Art and About festival. As well as the bar there will also be poetry and music inspired by water, discussions on how water formed Sydney and the future of our water resources.

Ms Laurence said the aim was to connect people with something all around them, vital to life yet often ignored.

“Nearly all my work is in relation to the natural environment and bringing people closer to it,” she said.

“In Australia, we’re not really aware enough of the qualities of water and even though we’re a country stricken with drought in somewhere like Sydney there is isn’t a lot of awareness of the fragility and politics of water.”

Although, Ms Laurence is probably more aware of the politics of water than she once was after City of Sydney Liberal councillor Edward Mandla laid into the project, which benefited from an $80,000 grant from council coffers.

“Normal people go to work to earn money. Our Lord Mayor spends her day pondering how to spend someone else’s money in the kookiest fashion,” he told the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.

“To me beer tastes like beer, wine tastes like wine and water is that thing that you have to drink lots of mostly between the beer and wine.”

One of artist Janet Laurence’s most well-known works is ‘Edge of the Trees’ in front of the Museum of Sydney which she created with Fiona Foley.Source:News Corp Australia

The criticism hasn’t perturbed Ms Laurence whose work has also been exhibited in Paris where, to coincide with the recent climate change conference, she displayed a “hospital for the reef” to draw attention to the fragile ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef.

If nothing else, she said it might inspire a few people into healthier habits. “More and more people are trying to cut down on their wine so this might encourage them a bit. And besides, you can have water bars even after the lockouts.”

The drops at the H2O: Water Bar can be tried from 5-9pm on Thursdays and weekends from Saturday 13 February to Sunday 28 February 2016 at Paddington Reservoir Gardens, Oxford St, Paddington, Sydney.