Gothamist: Opinion Poll: NYC Waterfalls, Yay or Nay?

eyekantspel

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:08:30 -0500

The NYT seems to like it: But their quiet heightens their strangeness, day or night. It is as if they were in their own movie, a silent one. And in a way they are. They could almost fool King Kong into thinking he is back home. They are the remnants of a primordial Eden, beautiful, uncanny signs of a natural nonurban past that the city never had. a primordial, natural nonurban Eden, with scaffolding.

eyekantspel

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:04:19 -0500

go look at them at least, everything looks lame from your 13" monitor in your grandma's basement doesn't it? fyi: also looks lame on my 24" monitor from my luxury building.

Gothamist_Cynic

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:55:15 -0500

worst project since the gates. why don't they donate the millions wasted on this to a worthy cause?

camera_club

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:45:40 -0500

go look at them at least, everything looks lame from your 13" monitor in your grandma's basement doesn't it?

WorksInDUMBO

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:41:05 -0500

Aww, you guys are so cranky! Isn't it great to live in a city that would actually do something kooky and a little bit risky like this? And as mentioned, at least it has everyone talking. I think they're kind of cool (though I wish they were bigger and there were more of them)(and that they had colored lights)(and go-go dancers).

whantmoore

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:35:10 -0500

I agree with Maybrick2001 most people who live in NYC see it as a waste of time and money. The only upside is tourist are supposed to spend 55million to visit this "work of art". It just seems for 15 million that you could do a lot better than what was presented. You also have to remember that Con Ed is providing the power for this "art" for free.

citybug

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:32:41 -0500

I see three of the waterfalls from the terrace of my apartment... So, seeing the construction, testing, and turning on of these fountains makes me a bit more positive to it. They are very minimalist, but at the same time, very droll. They are alright during the day but at night, things seem to change. I am all for public "art" works projects, but this one really needs to grow, and possibly be on for longer that what it is set for to be any useful.

Missy

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:48:06 -0500

Haven't seen them yet, but wanted to make a point about the visible scaffolding: that's part of the work. Eliasson's pieces make clear how the work works. Granted, that's more interesting & relevant for the upward-flowing water "falls", which he has already done elsewhere. The downward flowing falls seem by extension a bit of a letdown.

wiseguynyc

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:04:09 -0500

They look kinda neat to me. And they're doing what all art should do: provoke discussion. That alone is a mark of their success.

glennQNYC

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:14:50 -0500

The Circle Line is loving this shit; that's for sure!

glennQNYC

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:10:49 -0500

$15.5 million? Geez- Seems like some water could be pumped over a few scaffoldings for FAR less than that! Lame.

zreader

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:02:18 -0500

They might look kinda pretty, but I am already so sick of tourists taking photos of 'em while standing in the bike lane of the Brooklyn Bridge. The tourists on the bridge are bad enough in the summer on a regular day. This is just awful. I'm really gonna hit one of 'em soon, and it's not going to be my fault.

snowman

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:46:34 -0500

I somehow expected a lot more water... Kinda just looks like scaffolding with mist coming off of it...

dcsos

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:19:16 -0500

Now if they put some ice in there, they could air condition the bridge

Fritzdecat

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:03:38 -0500

take it back to Japan and leave it there

foodlover

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:39:37 -0500

Can river trash get into the waterfall? How about dead fish or...a body?

Tim N.

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:37:38 -0500

It's not The Gates. Not even close.

Snoopy

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:23:48 -0500

Oh one more the water fall inside Olympic Tower.

Snoopy

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:23:12 -0500

Is the Paley Park waterfall still working? How about the Noguchi waterfall at 666 Fifth Avenue?

santijose

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:13:58 -0500

like many things in NYCity, it will look 100% better when night falls. when the city turns on that magical note that is missing during the day.

Spiritof76

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:11:02 -0500

The waterfall beside the McGraw Hill building is more impressive than this.

veeelchop

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:57:16 -0500

see the problem with the waterfalls is that they are being promoted. Locals might go out their way to see them if they would any performance or artistic expression. but its not in any way SIGNIFICANT to the way we live. really its just more tourist trap crap. which is fine really. for tourists it a day outside of times square-midtown. i say the longer we have tourists on boats the less they are standing on a street corner, lost (ITS A GRID!) and looking skyward with a map hanging from their gucci shoulder bag and blocking traffic. i guess i'd call it art. generally. as if most anything inexplicable might be categorized that way. now if they just showed up one day, without heavy handed public promotion they would be a sensation. in that way they would not need any explanation or rationalization. public art is best when it is unexpected, anomalous, mysterious and fantastic. i call this display crass.

Maybrick2001

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:35:59 -0500

Before you read this just know I tried to look for any positives on this project. That being said..... I have seen the falls and it is a complete waste of money and energy. Whenever the wind blows (and it doesn't have to be very hard) the falls turn into a ball of mist. A mist of smelly East River water. Plus, you can ALWAYS see the metal scaffold behind the falls. Maybe a silk screened wall hiding the scaffolding would have improved the look. I am quite sure there will be times when the light hits the falls just right and there is no wind and they will look beautiful. However, are those fleeting moments worth the MILLIONS of dollars that are being spent on this?? I think not. Let us not even factor in the fact that we are all supposed to not use our air conditioners too much during the summer so we can conserve energy....BUT the city can run these idiotic things for 15 hours a day for 110 days??? Maybe this was a good idea in theory, but it is lame in practice and in this dying economy of ours it is just a complete waste of money and energy. For those of you who think that most of this is being paid by private donations....I have a bridge to sell you with a lovely waterfall beneath it!

Snoopy

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:28:42 -0500

The biggest problem is where they are sited. If they were sited in various inland sites like Madison Square or Times Square they would be exciting. Even then they would lack any historical meaning. There were never big falls in New York City. They are fountains. And not very good looking fountains at that.

chubbyemu

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:08:37 -0500

Eh, I don't know. I'll wait until I get down there and see for myself before I develop a more solid opinion.