APRIL 14, 2008: NEW YORK
The New York City Waterfalls, a major new work of public art by internationally acclaimed artist Olafur Eliasson, will be on view in New York's East
River from June 26th through October 13th 2008. Commissioned by Public Art Fund, the project consists of four monumental, man-made waterfalls temporarily installed at sites along the waterfront in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Governors Island: one on the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge, one between Piers 4 and 5 below the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, one in Lower Manhattan at Pier 35 north of the Manhattan Bridge, and one on the north shore of Governors Island. The 90- to 120-foot-tall Waterfalls are erected on the shoreline and have been designed to protect water quality and aquatic life. They will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, and will be lit after sunset."
Large scale public art is a part of what makes New York City the cultural center of the world. It excites New Yorkers and encourages visitors from around the world to experience a once in a lifetime moment,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The Waterfalls exhibition is the next chapter in the City’s great cultural legacy – and we are exceptionally thrilled that internationally-renowned artist Olafur Eliasson has chosen New York City as his latest canvas.”
Public Art Fund is a non-profit art organization that has been presenting contemporary art in New York since 1977, and The New York City Waterfalls is the organization’s most ambitious project to date. “For 30 years, the Public Art Fund has been bringing artists and New York City together by presenting innovative art projects for all to see,” said Susan K. Freedman, President of Public Art Fund. “ The New York City Waterfalls takes this tradition to a new level and exemplifies our commitment to working with artists who stretch the limits of public art and the forms it might take.”
The New York City Waterfalls, sited in the historic New York Harbor, a gateway to
America for nearly four centuries, will showcase New York’s natural environment
alongside the City’s industrial and commercial landscape. “In developing The New York City Waterfalls, I have tried to work with today’s complex notion of public spaces,” said Eliasson. “The Waterfalls appear in the midst of the dense social, environmental, and political tissue that makes up the heart of New York City. They will give people the possibility to reconsider their relationships to these spectacular surroundings, and I hope they will evoke experiences that are both individual and enhance a sense of collectivity.”
