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Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials joined artist Olafur Eliasson and Susan K. Freedman of the Public Art Fund at a press conference this morning at the South Street Seaport, where all four of Eliasson's waterfalls can be seen at once. An aide to the mayor noted that there was more press attending this event than when he announced he was switching his party to become independent.
The mayor estimated that the waterfalls, which will be spraying East River water through October 13th, will generate approximately $55 million for the city. The project is being "virtually" paid for with private funds, according to Bloomberg, with about $2 million from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. He also warned New Yorkers "not to climb on them or try to swim around" the waterfalls, and encouraged everyone to call 311 for waterfalls details. (Seriously.)
Bloomberg and Eliasson joined the first media bout tour, during which the artist explained that he intentionally left the scaffolding visible because he didn't want viewers to get distracted trying to figure out how the waterfalls work. The waterfalls, he said, are meant to draw connections between different parts of the city and, because the water takes time to fall, remind people of the present moment.
New York Circle Line, which is the "official" water tour operator for the NYC Waterfalls; they have a number of free and "specially-priced" tours running daily. Other tours are being run by New York Water Taxi and Circle Line Sightseeing (home of the $50,000 waterfalls tour). Here's a handy guide, and you can also bike the falls along this DOT-recommended route.
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I'm sorry but I don't see the artistic value of this, not to mention you can still see the metal structure past the cheap waterfalls.
I'll take Niagara Falls over this shit anyday
quit being such a hater. someone called this art so we have to appreciate it.
this is effin ugly, the metal barrier makes it look terrible, what a waste
quit being such a lover. it's not a painting or sculpture so we have to hate it.
just needs some impromptu wet t-shirt contests really, spruce these meh-looking muthafuckas right on up
lame.
This is ugly, not art. Seeing the metal structure behind the falls makes this look manufactured, boring, contrived & cold-- stainless steel looking metals belong in kitchens, not on wannabe waterfalls.
if bloomberg had any balls he would apologize and announce the city's revised plan to blow each waterfall up on July 4th using environmentally friendly explosive devices.
This could be followed by a crowd-pleasing show in which stabby-the-bicycle-rider is temporarily released from jail to chase Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson down Fifth Avenue (providing him a sporting head start, of course).
At the press conference this morning, Eliasson mused the New York Waterfalls could also be known as "New York Scaffolds." Noting that scaffolding is a quintessential part of daily life in New York, he explained that he deliberately left the falls' structure and pumping systems as naked and simple as possible. Eliasson said he is neither concealing how the falls work nor attempting to replicate nature. He hopes that instead of trying to figure out how the falls function, viewers will be able to concentrate on their experience of the work -- the time it takes for the water to travel from top to bottom -- and how it relates to scale, time, and movement in the city.
"...the artist explained that he intentionally left the scaffolding visible because he didn't want viewers to get distracted trying to figure out how the waterfalls work."
SOMEONE CALL 311!!! The Brooklyn Bridge is leaking! Oh wait... Nevermind. I see the scaffolding now.
So THAT's what those blue symbols in the bike lane mean!
Eliasson said he hopes that instead of trying to figure out how the falls function, viewers will be able to concentrate on their experience of the work -- the time it takes for the water to travel from top to bottom -- and how it relates to scale, time, and movement in the city.
He then jumped in a cab with a briefcase full of money and sped off to catch the next flight back to Berlin.
They should have wrapped the scaffolding in bright orange canvas.
Oh come on you bunch of grumps! I just got back from the brooklyn promenade and they are fun! It's nice to see two waterfalls in the same field of vision. It was also fun when the wind shifted and blew all the water into scaffolding, obscuring the structure. Get off your fat whiny asses and go try to act like you like something today!
maevemealone = Olafur Eliasson's press agent.
don't pay for the watertaxis. You can take the free one to IKEA.
As my daughter would say:
This is dumb.
Yeah, it's art, I'll grant you that. But it's not particularly good art, or inspired art, or moving art (well, the water is moving, but... )
It's like the water goes up, and then it goes down, and then...
The mayor estimated that the waterfalls, which will be spraying East River water through October 13th, will generate approximately $55 million for the city.
I'm curious how the mayor made up, er, came up, with these numbers. With the the exception of Olaf's friends and relatives, I can't imagine many tourists would organize a trip to NYC based around seeing these falls.
"Bloomberg and Eliasson joined the first media bout tour."
What? Packs of fighting journalists invited the mayor and the..."artist" to join them?
this guy is just another nutbag with a nyc agenda. BORING and
waste of money. Only for those who are easily entertained. And dont mind that so many people go hungry and without water while we make it do pointless tricks. Isnt that dirty street run off water? Have fun getting that spray on you. If you only knew what things run out of restraunt trash bags and into the gutter.
"the artist explained that he intentionally left the scaffolding visible because he didn't want viewers to get distracted trying to figure out how the waterfalls work. The waterfalls, he said, are meant to draw connections between different parts of the city and, because the water takes time to fall, remind people of the present moment"
That's a mouthful of pretentious crap, right there.