One of the greatest roles of art in our lives is that it can transform the mundane into the miraculous. Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has done just this with a series of four man made waterfalls that have been installed into the East River in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and Governors Island in New York City.
“The New York City Waterfalls” is a widely-praised public art project that has transformed an ordinary urban waterway into a unique, kinetic art form. Part engineering art and part visual art, these 90- to 120-foot steel towers are equipped with powerful pumps that suck up water and spill it down in elegant waterfalls. It is interesting to note that the man made waterfalls will only be in operation from seven in the morning until 10 in the evening, presumably so this art work is a quieter neighbor through the night. The length of time that the waterfalls are in place is finite as well. This outdoor art exhibition by Olafur Eliasson will be up from June 26 to October 13, 2008.
In the words of Mayor Bloomberg, “Not only does public art excite and inspire New Yorkers, it helps draw visitors and adds millions of dollars into our economy.” It is anticipated that this public art installation will bring in an extra $55 million dollars in revenue into New York City.
New York City is having a love fest with Olafur Eliasson that includes recent exhibitions of work by the Berlin-based artist. Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson just concluded at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center on Long Island.
At the age of 40, Olafur Eliasson has been showing his work internationally at venues such as the Tate Modern in London, the 50th Venice Biennale in Italy, the Reykjavik Art Museum in Iceland, the Malmö Konsthall in Sweden, the Kunsthaus Zug in Switzerland, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Holland, the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo and the San Francisco Museum of Art in California.
