This is the view from my San Jose hotel room.
See the columns of water, at the very center of the photo. (Sorry it’s hard to make out.)
This fountain is empty at the moment but not for long.
When that large shadow passes, this place will fill with people leaping, cavorting and having as much fun as humanly possible.
How different from a traditional fountain, the one that stands as tribute to the sculpture’s genius. This one is made from water.
How different from the fountain that rims itself with marble, a symbolic boundary broken only in times of celebration (or for the shooting of an intro for Friends). This one lets people in.
How different from the fountain that insists on its own majesty. This one invites commotion, rewards chaos.
Are you encouraging this kind of behavior? Are you sure you’re not some kind of Communist?
Goodness, no. Commies make the worst public art possible. I visited a Lenin sculpture garden in Moscow that made me want to hurl.
I remember playing in that fountain as a kid. I also remember wanting to play in traditional water fountains, but my parents and/or security guards were there to prevent it.
Which raises the question: is it the form of the object that discourages interaction, or is it societal pressures (ie. one is allowed, the other is not)?