Results tagged “waterfalls”

After widespread reports last summer that Olafur Eliasson’s waterfalls installation was damaging lots of nearby plantlife, the River Cafe has gone ahead with earlier threats and decided to sue New York's Public Art Fund and Eliasson to the tune of $3 million for an assortment of damages they say were brought on by their close proximity to one of the falls. Cafe owner Buzzy O'Keefe said, "There were 90 to 120 days of saltwater rain coming down on us. It ate up aluminum and steel. It short-circuited our electrics. We had fires on our roof. The paint was ruined, the awnings were ruined, our outdoor lights are broken, and a lot of our trees just couldn't take it. It's left the place destroyed. They did nothing." After initially denying that the waterfalls were causing any problems, the Public Art Fund did cut down the amount of time they were left on in half during through their run.

Last year, when people started complaining that spray from Olafur Eliasson’s waterfalls was prematurely turning trees brown, officials assured everyone the salty, East River mist wouldn't cause any "long-term danger." (Though the Public Art Fund did pay to have the salt regularly cleaned off, and the waterfalls operating hours were reduced.) Well, now it looks like some of the damage may indeed have been permanent. Scott Stamford, general manager at the River Cafe (pictured), recently showed the Brooklyn Paper some sickly-looking trees on the property, which is right by the Brooklyn Bridge. Though other trees nearby are already budding, three weeping birches are showing "no sign of life at all." And according to Stamford, "an ornamental crab apple tree... is nowhere near where it should be at this time of year." To be sure, Spring has taken its time this year, but as Stamford points out, trees can also die slowly, and he's worried that "every season we may see fewer and fewer signs of life." Asked what the restaurant will do if the trees are in fact deceased, Stamford replied, "Well, the lawyers will have to figure that out."

As crews begin dismantling Olafur Eliasson's four arboricidal waterfall scaffolds, the mayor's office has released a report asserting that the economic impact of the installation was better than expected. When the waterfalls were turned on back in June, Bloomberg predicted the city would see some $55 million in revenue from the exhibition. A study commissioned by the city’s Economic Development Corporation says that the NYC Waterfalls generated an estimated $69 million for the city. According to City Room, that figure breaks down like so:

A reader sent in this photo of the imminent dismantling of artist Olafur Eliasson's Lower East Side waterfall at Pier 35. Within weeks, the scaffolding at all four locations will be but a distant memory, and in spring the leaves will (hopefully!) return to the trees without that salty East River mist to turn them freakishly brown for the sake of conceptual art.

Artist Olafur Eliasson's ambitious and controversial waterfall installation ends today after a 15-week run, leaving sick trees, irritated residents, and a collective 'meh,' in its wake. Last week tests conducted by Cornell University concluded that the soil at the River Café, just downwind from the Brooklyn Bridge waterfall, had salt levels almost 10 times higher than normal. “Those levels are amazingly high, and if that level of salt was in the soil for a long period of time, the plants wouldn’t survive,” soil expert John Ameroso tells Brooklyn Paper.

Yesterday Mayor Bloomberg made a curious move by presenting an environmental award to the man behind the Waterfalls project, Olafur Eliasson, and the Public Art Fund, the organization that commissioned the four waterfalls that have run throughout the summer along the city's East River waterfronts. The Doris C. Freedman Award has been given annually for over 25 years to people and groups who enrich the city's environment. However, just last month, the city decided to cut down the amount of hours the falls run in half due to concerns that the spray coming from them was causing damage to nearby plant life. Bloomberg's praise of the waterfalls did not seem to relate heavily to any environmental good they have done the city, instead focusing on the economic boost they have provided as a tourist attraction and adding, "This project proclaims that New York City is home to bold visions and visionaries."

They've turned the trees brown, they've swallowed kayakers, they've sparked a "meh" heard round the world. Now Olafur Eliasson's four waterfall installations on the East River have something else to add to their legacy: another pair of white dudes have been inspired to rap.

As predicted on Gothamist last week, concerns about the waterfalls damaging nearby trees have caused the city to decrease their operating time from 101 to 49.5 hours per week starting next Monday. The Public Art Fund says that an environmental assessment was done beforehand and that "an anemometer (wind meter) has been installed at each site, which shuts each waterfall off in the case of sustained winds that may blow saltwater onto the surrounding areas." However, the reduction in the running time of the falls is being taken as an extra precaution after leaves on trees surrounding the Brooklyn Bridge and Governors Island waterfalls were turning prematurely brown.

The four waterfalls installed by artist Olafur Eliasson and the Public Art fund at various spots on the East River are supposed be taken down on October 13th, but some Brooklyn residents fear that could be too late. In response to mounting concerns that spray from the salty, semi-polluted East River is blowing onto trees and slowly killing them, Judy Stanton, head of the Brooklyn Heights Association, is calling for the falls to be stopped now. She tells the Brooklyn Paper, “I think it’s enough. They’re damaging the local environment and I don’t think it’s worth it to have this question remain: Will the trees come back?” Reporter Sarah Portlock, who has dubbed this whole thing a "tree-bacle," also notes that drivers who park near the falls are returning to find their vehicles coated with oil residue and salt.

How many trees have to die before someone does something about Olafur Eliasson’s waterfalls? Earlier this month the Parks Department and the Public Art Fund admitted that the salty East River spray from the Brooklyn Bridge waterfall was making the leaves on trees at the River Cafe in DUMBO go prematurely brown. Now the Brooklyn Paper reports that the trees at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade are suffering from the same affliction, brought on by the salt slowing photosynthesis. Officials have assured tree-huggers that the spray from what BP calls Eliasson's "four-headed killing machine" doesn't pose any "long-term danger," but the way things are going, it's only a matter of time before some Earth First! activists start climbing up the falls to try and hang protest banners.

Artist Olafur Eliasson may soon have tree blood on his hands – the Brooklyn Bridge waterfall installation is kicking up such a salty spray that downwind trees are turning brown and “looking as if it's November,” the Post reports. The saltwater is interfering with their photosynthesis, and the owner of the River Café, which has gardens just south of the bridge, is worried that the trees he planted over three decades ago are suffering too much for public art. The Parks Department agrees they're “showing signs of stress,” and the Public Art Fund, which is producing the NYC Waterfalls, has hired a tree service to try and save them.

Yesterday, we noted that two kayakers were rescued from the temporary Brooklyn Bridge waterfalls yesterday afternoon, and now there are some more details: The novice kayakers, in a two-man kayak, had been in a group of kayakers paddling from Governors Island to DUMBO and wanted a closer look at the falls. Their group's leader, Erik Baard, described Bert Rosenblatt and Vladimir Spector as "goofing around."

Earlier this afternoon, two kayakers required some extra help when they got too close to the temporary NYC Waterfalls near the Brooklyn Bridge. Harbor and aviation units were on the scene to help them out--there was even a request to shut down the waterfall. The two people were rescued and the waterfalls continue to flow. Less dicey ways to see the falls include walking on the Brooklyn promenade, taking a boat cruise, or while biking around town.

              

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.

    

Olafur Eliasson's hyper-anticipated Waterfalls began flowing this morning at 7am, under a dreary, overcast sky. They'll be from 7am to 10pm every day until October 13th, except on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when they'll be turned on at 9am. For a list of good viewing spots, click here.

Olafur Eliasson's Waterfalls start flowing tomorrow morning-- perhaps as early as 7am, but sadly, the Circle Line tours of the bay don't start until Friday. So if you want a good view (or a good picture) of these babies, you're going to have to view them from land. No problem: we've marked the best viewing spots for each one on the map above.

The New York Times has fever also, featuring an image of the public art project that is set to flow starting tomorrow by 9 a.m. First announced in January, the project, conceived by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, involves four man-made waterfalls along the shores of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Governors Island: by the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge, between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, in Lower Manhattan at Pier 35, and on the north shore of Governors Island.

Delayed spoiler alert: The photo here from Curbed reveals what Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s waterfall looks like on Governor’s Island. One of four on the East River, it’s not supposed to be “officially” turned on until next Thursday. Oh well, now we know. For those keeping score, we've now seen the Manhattan-side Pier 35 waterfall test, and yesterday's test of the Brooklyn waterfall between Piers 4 and 5. That leaves just the waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge left to spoil! (Send your waterfall test pics to tips(at)gothamist(dot)com or tag them “Gothamist” on Flickr.)

     

The man-made waterfalls, Olafur Eliasson's aquatic art project, were getting another test run this morning. Last week a late night test was witnessed by some at Pier 35, and this morning we saw the Brooklyn waterfall getting a test run at the foot of the Promenade (between Piers 4 and 5).

Delayed spoiler alert: This photo reveals what the upcoming East River waterfalls will most likely look like. Although artist Olafur Eliasson’s ambitious art project doesn't officially start until June 26th, apparently they do need practice turning the spigot. One eagle-eyed Curbed reader caught them in the act late last night and snapped this photo, which depicts the waterfall at Pier 35 by the Manhattan Bridge.

When Olafur Eliasson's NYC Waterfalls start roaring on the East River and New York Harbor this June, cruises like Circle Line will be bringing passengers so close to the spray they’ll need to stock ponchos on board. Sure, you could just look at the falls from any number of points on the shore, but tour boat companies are betting that plenty of people will gladly pay for the Man-Made of the Mist experience.

Work on this summer’s NYC Waterfalls project seems to be flowing forward, as the photo above indicates. The $9-$10 million project will bring 4 man-made waterfalls, ranging 90 to 120 feet, to the East River and New York Harbor. Presented by The Public Art Fund, the waterfalls are the creation of Danish–Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, who’s currently enjoying a retrospective at MoMA.

Details have emerged on the ambitious, $15 million East River waterfalls project coming to New York in mid-July to cap off the Olafur Eliasson retrospective at MoMa. The project will consist of four man-made waterfalls, ranging 90 to 120-foot tall, installed temporarily at four sites along the shores of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Governors Island: by the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge, between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, in Lower Manhattan at Pier 35, and on the north shore of Governors Island. The waterworks will flow from 7am to 10pm seven days a week, will be lit after sunset, and operate from July to October.

Danish–Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson will work with the Public Art Fund – a nonprofit that brought Anish Kapoor's "Sky Mirror" and Jeff Koons's "Puppy," to Rockefeller Center – to bring freestanding waterfalls to the East River this spring. The project will be officially announced tomorrow, but a source tells the Sun that the waterfalls will rise 60 to 70 feet above the water, which is more than half as high as the Brooklyn Bridge roadway. The spectacle will be visible from the area around the Seaport and Brooklyn Heights.