AP News, January 14th, 2008
Following the artistic and economic success of "The Gates," which festooned Central Park paths with orange fabric, the city is hosting a new exhibition to erect four giant waterfalls on the East River.
Danish artist Olafur Eliasson was commissioned to build "New York City Waterfalls" at four locations in the river this summer near the southern tip of Manhattan, including one at the Brooklyn base of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.
The project will require erecting scaffolding 90 to 120 feet high, then pumping water to the top to cascade back into the river. The city said filters would protect fish from being drawn into the pumps and waterfalls.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was expected to officially announce the project on Tuesday. It was first reported Monday in The New York Sun.
Three years ago, Bulgarian artist Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, erected 7,503 door frames or "gates" draped with bright orange fabric along 23 miles of Central Park footpaths. The display in February 2005 drew an estimated 4 million visitors to the park, including 1.5 million out-of-towners, and pumped $254 million into the city economy.
The city estimates the waterfall project will contribute more than $50 million to the economy.
Eliasson uses elements of nature to evoke sensory experiences. Among his pieces are "The weather project" at the Tate Modern in London, which used lights, reflection and mist to evoke the sun and sky.
His work has been seen in galleries and institutions around the world, and at major art events like the Venice Biennale. He is the subject of a retrospective opening in April at the Museum of Modern Art in April.
The waterfall project was commissioned by the Public Art Fund, a nonprofit organization that has placed art in public locations all over the city. It raised private funds to pay for it.
It will be on display from mid-July to mid-October, and will be illuminated after sunset.
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On the Net:
Olafur Eliasson: http://www.olafureliasson.net/
Public Art Fund: http://www.publicartfund.org/
