Art in water and sanitation research in Nepal: a performance with sanitation workers.

This article focuses on the creation and performance of (un)seen (un)clean, a collaborative dance and song piece developed by 12 female sanitation workers in Nepal alongside artists Alice Fox (UK) and Ashmina Ranjit (Nepal). Presented at the 2022 Women of the World Festival in Lumbini Peace Park, the performance aimed to raise awareness of the precarious working conditions, caste-based discrimination, and health risks faced by sanitation workers, who are often marginalized in Nepalese society. The creative process involved workshops that fostered trust and co-creation, enabling the workers to express dignity and resilience through movement, song, and symbolic gestures such as covering their hands in mud. While not offering direct solutions, the performance sought to disrupt stigma and generate public empathy, highlighting ongoing sanitation and water quality challenges in the region.