Sustainable Art Waterfalls in NYC
By Karina | June 30, 2008
Have you heard about the waterfalls that just opened in NYC? There are four of them – scaffolding constructed between 90 and 120 feet tall. They’re located at the base of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, on a pier in Brooklyn, and on Governors Island. They will probably come to mean many things to many people (this Public Art Fund project sheet has a bunch of quotes from people excited about the falls for various reasons). They just opened on Thursday, and will be running through October 13th.
I love the concept – One of the goals of the artist is to look at the neglected space in an urban environment by calling attention to it with water, or to draw attention to the negative space between the large and obvious positive space constructions that we focus on every day in NYC. There are so many neglected urban spaces out there – fringe areas that are slowly being taken over by nature and rubbish. Maybe it’s my civil engineering background, but I am always looking at the undersides of bridges. Maybe it’s the environmentalist in me but I love looking at water systems and trying to really SEE, instead of just “look at,” the ecosystems and the environment, and to see how it manages so well in spite of the close urban environments.
Also, I love this (from the “did you know”):
“All of the electricity used during the operation of the waterfalls is 100% offset by green power — electricity generated by renewable resources.”
And check out (from that earlier project sheet) how the waterfalls are hoped to generate attention on the environment:
“The Waterfalls will help a new generation of New Yorkers discover our great waterfront and encourage us all to become stewards for its continued revitalization and lasting protection,” said Riverkeeper President Alex Matthiessen. “The project itself is a model of green design and, importantly, is protective of key aquatic habitat.”
“From buildings and transportation to cultural events and art projects, every aspect of our city has the potential to be more sustainable,” said Ashok Gupta, air and energy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “Through hard work and dedication, the Public Art Fund and Mayor Bloomberg have launched an environmentally-sustainable public art project that will be the standard for all similar projects moving forward.”
I haven’t been to see the falls yet but they are on the top of my list to do the next time I’m in NYC!
Check the official waterfalls page for more information. Also, here is a great NYTimes article with a list of the best ways to see the waterfalls if you’ll be in NYC.
Do you think that public art of this magnitude will help draw attention to the environment, or is it just a big multi-million dollar novelty?
Photo from flickr user dietrich via creative commons license. Check out his other photos of the falls!
Topics: General | 6 Comments »
Seeing them out of the conference room windows of my 125 Broad street office makes it hard to focus on the (always exciting) meetings I am in. It is a disaster!
j/k
It is actually distracting especially in high winds when the water shifts from a wall of water to a huge cloud of spray. Very pretty though.
NYC is always a great place for large scale art like this as there is so much space to be used and gargantuan structures to make even giant art seem modest in size.
They also of course serve to provide draw for school trips, camps, religious groups, tourists and the occasional New Yorker that notices something is going on.
New Yorkers don’t notice things such as waterfalls in our midst. We’re far too busy and important. Who needs nature when you’ve got stress to keep you going?
[...] Sustainable Art Waterfalls in NYC [...]
Yeah, I do have to say that the one thing that bothers me about this project (and the same with the Christo gates) is the amount of money it cost. $15 million??? I can only hope that the good it could do will justify that amount as it just seems excessive.
I’m not sure about the Christo gates but the waterfalls were privately funded by independent donors, at least. I imagine by people who felt strongly about the role of public art in our society.
Wow! It is very beautiful. Yes, distracting though.
It’s hard to focus if you are working someplace where you can see the beauty of the waterfall. But, I still love it. It takes away stress.