BHA Wants Waterfalls Shut Down
“New York City’s Waterfalls”, the public art exhibition of four man-made waterfalls by artist Olafur Eliasson, is scheduled to end on October 13th. But the Brooklyn Heights Association wants them dismantled earlier, reports the Brooklyn Paper. Salt-soaked spray from the falls has been damaging and possibly even killing trees caught in their mist; the spray…
“New York City’s Waterfalls“, the public art exhibition of four man-made waterfalls by artist Olafur Eliasson, is scheduled to end on October 13th. But the Brooklyn Heights Association wants them dismantled earlier, reports the Brooklyn Paper. Salt-soaked spray from the falls has been damaging and possibly even killing trees caught in their mist; the spray has also damaged cars parked by the River Café. Those calling for the faucet to be turned off swear their objection isn’t aesthetic, although the Brooklyn Paper noted that the falls, by the BQE, Brooklyn Bridge, Pier 35 in Manhattan and along the FDR, were supposed to be viewable from many Brooklyn spots. Instead, they say, they look “more like a giant Erector Set from the borough’s shores.”
TREE-BACLE [Brooklyn Paper]
kuroko- I confess I never looked at it that way but re-imagining the falls in a smaller location certainly makes a difference in how the project could have engaged us.
I’d love to see another project from him because his work sounds fascinating, but we still have to ecological damage to contend with and I’m curious whose oversight that was- his or the City?
kuroko, other than the blandness, actually, downright ugliness of this installation, the primary complaint is the effect of the salt water on the flora and fauna around it. That said, how on earth could you think installing it in a pond in Central Park is a good idea?
East River;
See, we can agree on something! Perhaps there’s hope!
😉
Hmmm…good point benson. Gee I hated saying that.
With a team like this…
http://www.nycwaterfalls.org/#/waterfalls_team/Partners_and_Team
how could they miss?
The problem though is not necessarily with the execution so much as the ambition of the project.
They are competing with the context and the scale of the location. What sculpture up against the Brooklyn Bridge not to mention the wide open spaces of the East River is going to compete.
Olafur is a gifted artist but his work is more intimate than is required of a work up against the backdrop of New York City. This work would of been great installed in one of the ponds of Central Park or similar settings.
Too bad, but let’s not let this prevent us from trying again.
They’re not permanent? Oh thank god.
There is one other aspect of this issue that I am surprised that no one has noted. Take a look at the photo in this article, and note how close the fountain is to the steel roadway structure of the Brooklyn Bridge. If you think that the salt-water spray is wreaking havoc on the nearby trees and cars, just imagine what it is doing these steel members, especially given that the BB is in need of a repainting. Corroding these steel members is a very serious matter, given the cost of repairing them.
WHAT were they thinking when they chose this location?
Would it be considered vandalism if we all meet and push them over into the East River?
Only somewhat more appealing at night with the lights on. I call this the broken water pipe installation.