exhibition review 2-eliasson's nyc waterfalls-anna

This weekend I was able to go to New York to see Olafur Eliasson's Waterfalls. The installation will be up until october 13th, and I wanted to visit it before it is dismantled.

The Waterfalls were commissioned by The Public Art Fund. They consist of four man-made falls located in the East River. They range in heights from 90 ft to 120 ft. The larges is situated right beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The scaffolding is erected against one of the suppor beams and runs the width of it. The other falls are located at the Brooklyn piers, governor's Island, and pier 35 in Manhattan. They generate 35 gallons of water per minute. The cost to assemble them was 15 million, though they are expected to generate 60 million dollars in revenue for the city.

All four waterfalls can be viewed from South Street Seaport pier 17, which I didn't expect them to be in such close proximity. The effect at first, is a bit underwhelming. The largest fall beneath the Brooklyn Bridge is exactly as it appear in photographs. It actually though, looks really natural there. It seems suited for the space. What appears to be the tallest and most narrow, is at the Brooklyn piers. It was probably the most interesting, at least the day I was there. At one point the wind picked up, causing the flowing water to curve sharply. A building seems to be directly behind it, making the scaffolding less noticeable. The water appears to be falling from the sky. The tow other falls on governor's Island and pier 35 seem the least effective because they appear so similar.

The water taxi take you for a closer look and there you can experience the falls not just visually, but feel the spray and sounds of rushing water, wind, and waves.

The best way to appreciate them is to spend some time there and they start to win you over. What make them interesting is the constant change of conditions, wind, sun, clouds, weather, etc. It reminded me of Monet's series paintings, and how the effect of light could change the mood of the same subject. Eliasson's use of scaffolding for the falls is ironic because it actually suits the city. It's not uncommon to come across different scaffolding the many city streets. I had read that his intention was to bring peoples attention to 'what is between the land'. Even though Manhattan is surrounded by water, water is really taken for granted.

I think in this sense, he is successful because I hung out for a couple of hours and it felt so relaxing. One of my friends commented that it didn't feel like you were in the city at all. It seems a lot of others had the same thought, as it was crowded with people lounging on the steps, just taking in the view. It was crowded, yet it didn't seem 'busy' at all.

I wouldn't say this is as powerful as his most famous installation The Weather Project at the Tate Modern, London. There he brought the sun inside the museum, everyone appearing in silhouette surrounded by yellow-orange light. With the Waterfalls, he keeps the outside, outside. The scaffolding is actually much like the building structures themselves. It's less of a surprise because they are not opposite elements coming together. This one has a more subtle, serene feel. You just have to take a little more time to appreciate its impact.