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Seismic Sea - Pasadena Museum of California Art - 2009
A shallow layer of water is captured inside a sealed acrylic dish mounted on top of a steel column. The steel base plate that supports the column sits on a bed of hundreds of springs that allow the plate to flex as people walk on it. The vibrations from people walking are transferred up the pole and revealed by waves in the surface of the water. The system is sensitive enough to reveal the heartbeat of a viewer standing on the base plate. The artwork was part of an exhibition entitled: “Data + Art”, that was curated by Dan Goods.
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Tipping Wall - Sebastopol Center for the Arts - 2008
Water running down stainless steel cables fills a series of aluminum channels. The channels are supported by ball bearing so that they can tip. As each channel fills with water, it must “decide” to tip either left or right and spill water into either of the two channels below. Thus the entire array becomes an interrelated web of water decisions. The artwork is a prototype for a surface treatment on a cooling tower in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands that is currently under construction. At night, lights bouncing off of the water will animate the facade with shifting patterns of shadows from the tilting channels.
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Quantum Wave - ATF Headquarters, Washington DC - 2008
Water running down stainless steel cables fills a series of aluminum channels. The channels are supported by ball bearing so that they can tip. As each channel fills with water, it must “decide” to tip either left or right and spill water into either of the two channels below. Thus the entire array becomes an interrelated web of water decisions. The artwork is a prototype for a surface treatment on a cooling tower in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands that is currently under construction. At night, lights bouncing off of the water will animate the facade with shifting patterns of shadows from the tilting channels.
Wave Oculus - Union Point Pier, Oakland, California. 2006
A 50’ diameter, circular pier covered with thousands of small stainless steel mirrors that are angled down to reflect snapshots of the surface of the bay and create the impression that the surface of the water has been digitized. Ned Kahn also collaborated with the landscape architects, Mario Schjetnan Garduno and PGA Design, on the design of the adjacent park which features landforms modeled after waves, vortices and other water phenomena.
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Divided Sea - Emerald Glen Park, Dublin, California. 2004
A water version of the wind activated artworks that I have been creating over the last few years. The artwork consists of 100-foot long arc of custom designed nozzles that spray thin sheets of water down into a lake. The 1/8th-inch thick, glasslike sheets of water move like fabric in the wind and are very responsive to light. The water emanates from polished stainless steel plates, angled slightly down so as to reflect the wave patterns from the water surface below. This array of reflective metal squares creates the impression of a digitized line of undulating light, floating just above the water surface. The polished metal squares call attention to the complex interplay of light and water on the surface of the lake. As the thin sheets of water slice into the lake they create a distinctive sound which changes with the wind and counteracts the noise from the nearby roads, helping to create an oasis of natural phenomena for park visitors. The project was a collaboration with Carducci Landscape Architects and Baer Bros., the fountain contractor. Completed in 2004.
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Sonic Pool - Children’s Garden, Huntington Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California. 2004
A 5-foot diameter stainless steel bowl is continually filled to the brim with lake water and vibrated with an air-powered oscillator. Intricate wave patterns on the surface of the water reveal the resonant patterns of the bowl. At certain resonant frequencies the water is splashed up into the air. Visitors can reach into the water and feel the shape of the vibrational waves. Completed in 2004.
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Encircled Stream - Founders Court, Seattle Center, Seattle,Washington. 1995
A collaboration with Atelier Landscape Architects, Seattle on the design a courtyard inspired by the geological history of Washington State which has been punctuated by massive floods over the eons. The courtyard is centered around a large whirlpool that rhythmically fills and drains every few minutes, suggesting the countless cycles of floods that have sculpted the terrain of eastern Washington. As water spirals into the basin, a turbulent vortex is created. After a few minutes, the water shuts off and the vortex becomes calmer and as smooth as glass. Waves spiraling out of the center of the whirlpool create the illusion that the vortex has begun to spin in the opposite direction. The process is quite complex and different each time. The fountain is encircled by a series of spiral-shaped granite benches that invite people to sit and observe. The spiral motif is reflected in paving patterns which swirl out from the fountain and flow throughout the plaza. Funded by the Seattle Arts Commission. Completed in 1995.
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Wavespout (Breathing Sea) - Ventura Pier, City of San Buenaventura, California. 1993
A fountain that used the energy of ocean waves to create a blow hole on the end of the pier. Air pressure surges from passing waves blew a spray of seawater out of the spiral structure. The spray cascaded back down to the ocean through a slot in the pier deck that also framed the view of the sea below. The shape and power of the spray varied with the changing rhythms of the waves as well as with the tides and winds. Height 7'. Completed in 1993. Destroyed by damage to the pier 3 years later.
Turbulent Orb - World Financial Center, Battery Park City, New York, New York. 1990
Intended to suggest the view of the Earth or another planet from space, the sculpture consists a large, rotatable, spherical glass vessel, filled with a deep-blue fluid that reveals the movements of the currents within. Viewers are encouraged to rotate the spherical vessel by turning a cast iron wheel attached to the base. As the vessel spins, the fluid displays intricate flow patterns suggestive of a stormy atmosphere. Swirls of fluid, resembling hurricanes, appear and dissolve as the Orb slowly rotates. Even when the sculpture is left undisturbed, the fluid continues to flow for many hours.
Basin of Attraction - Artpark, Lewiston New York. 1989
Water from the Niagara river entered a six-foot diameter, spiral-shaped, stone basin and formed a whirlpool. The whirlpool changed in intensity in response to fluctuations in the rivers currents. The basin was constructed of granite found on the site. Commissioned by Artpark.
