NYC Water Towers: A New Canvas for Artists
Monday, August 11, 2014
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Artist Eteri Chkadua is one of a hundred artists whose work will wrap around New York City water tanks to raise awareness of global water issues. (Word Above The Street)
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New York City’s water towers are iconic, and starting this
month, a hundred of them will be covered in artwork created by Jeff
Koons, Maya Lin, and other artists. The project
is the brainchild of documentary filmmaker Mary Jordan. It’s meant to
raise awareness of global water problems and encourage New Yorkers to
drink their tap water.
“The city spends a gazillion dollars to protect that,” she says. “Why are you buying into this hype about this plastic water bottle?”
Most of the images are colorful and playful, but one of the tanks features a picture of a decomposing Albatross with plastic in his stomach – part of a series by photographer Chris Jordan. He admits, “I fly around the world on jets and I use my share of plastic all kinds of junk," but he hopes the image will make people feel something. “From there, it’s up to them if they change in any kind of way.”
“The city spends a gazillion dollars to protect that,” she says. “Why are you buying into this hype about this plastic water bottle?”
Most of the images are colorful and playful, but one of the tanks features a picture of a decomposing Albatross with plastic in his stomach – part of a series by photographer Chris Jordan. He admits, “I fly around the world on jets and I use my share of plastic all kinds of junk," but he hopes the image will make people feel something. “From there, it’s up to them if they change in any kind of way.”
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Comments [11]
Wonderful idea! NY has great
water, keeps winning high ratings in competitions with other cities.
Regardless of whether the artists are considered great or second rate,
the point is to make people aware of water usage. I suspect the art will
be temporary installations. Either the artists/bldgs will remove them
or mother nature's storms will do it eventually.
Aug. 11 2014 09:13 PM
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klean kanteen - these are great
sturdy reusable water bottles, they also have baby bottles made of high
grade material, fill it with the best stuff on earth, NYC water and away
you go,, pay once for the bottle and reuse it a 100 times over, and
over and over..
Aug. 11 2014 05:04 PM
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The reporter may want to clarify
but I do not believe that the images are painted directly on the water
towers. They are printed on vinyl mesh that is then wrapped around the
towers. They will be easily removable without damageing the towers (that
is the hope). I belive Jeff Koons created on. Maybe some people feel he
is "second - rate". Ask the Whitney.
Aug. 11 2014 12:47 PM
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Great! More Billboards....just what we needed!
Aug. 11 2014 11:26 AM
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Great idea!!! Love to see art around the city. There should be a blurb to accompany the artwork to reinforce the awareness.
Aug. 11 2014 11:02 AM
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I agree that the towers are
beautiful in their unadorned state, but it's not clear to me whether the
art is painted directly onto the wood or is a canvas wrap. Please
explain.
Aug. 11 2014 10:52 AM
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The wooden water towers should
really be left alone, considering that most woodwork of this type is
extremely rare, and as a side-effect, very artistic. Quite frankly,
defacing these very underrated structures, and I do agree with the
message the artists are trying to convey, will only turn me off to the
messengers. Then again, I guess the Proof will be in the Pudding, won't
it?
Aug. 11 2014 09:13 AM
Score: 1/1
Score: 1/1
I think water tanks are beautiful
as they are. Many artists use them as a subject for their art when
painting cityscapes. I'm all for increasing the presence of art in the
city, but I think doing paintings on historic water towers is a mistake.
I do not think they will add to the beauty of New York City's skyline.
Gloria Rabinowitz
BeautyArtYoga.NewYorkArtists.net
Gloria Rabinowitz
BeautyArtYoga.NewYorkArtists.net
Aug. 11 2014 09:01 AM
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A soggy attempt to sponge off a
genuine problem. A puddle of second-rate artists will deface the city
skyline, and the rest of us will have to live with their daubings until
their attempts get washed away.
Aug. 11 2014 08:52 AM
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The movie, "Bag It", changed my
husband's behavior. He drank bottled water because it was convenient
and fairly cheap. After SEEING how all our plastic garbage is killing
birds, turtles, fish he immediately started to refill our existing
bottles with tap water and to use a reusable rather than plastic bag. I
never thought it would be possible to get him to change!!!!
Aug. 11 2014 08:39 AM
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I'd love to know where the painted water tanks are.... there's nothing on their website. Please let us know.
Aug. 11 2014 07:19 AM
