The humble tap

It would seem that Oliver likes photographing taps! And have you ever seen a tap look so good as in these three shoots?

As interior designers and architects agonise about details, it seems photographers go to extrordinary lengths to highlight them... Who would have though the humble tap would become such a feature?

Visiting the home show in Melbourne last month, and watching thousands visit exhibition stands showcasing all sorts of kitchen and bathroom accessories, it would appear the humble tap has come of age!

Out of interest I researched a little more into the history of taps (yes - strange), and the Beijing Waterworks Group also have a mild interest, having established a museum which reviews the history of tap water since its beginning in 1908.

The official The Beijing Tap-water Museum writes, "The imperial families of the Forbidden City used to drink spring water carried from Mount Yuquanshan in western Beijing, while everyday folk had to use wells with bitter, salty, or sweet water (if they were lucky).

When Empress Dowager Cixi agreed to a proposal from officials to build a clean water supply system, many people had doubts, deeming it foreign and strange tasting, due to bleaching powder and chlorine. It was even dubbed "foreigners' soap water" because in winter it had a milky appearance when pumped out of the water tower." Hmmm...