COOL, CLEAR ART WATER IS MAKING A SPLASH IN SOCAL.Byline: Chris Ledermuller Staff Writer It's an element in nature and a unifying element of design in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . And now water is the focus of a traveling art exhibit. ``Liquid Art,'' a juried photographic installation of water-themed fountains, sculptures, paintings and murals found throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, - from Ventura to San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. - is on display at the Long Beach Museum of Art The Long Beach Museum of Art is a museum located on Ocean Blvd. in the Bluff Park neighborhood of Long Beach, California. The museum occupies the historic 1912 Elizabeth Milbank Anderson house and carriage house (designed by Charles Alonzo Rich[1]) and a new two-story through Sept. 30. A set of prints from the exhibit is also being shown at the Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. Civic Auditorium Civic Auditorium is a name commonly used for a city's auditorium and/or arena. Canada
The 20 photographs in the exhibit, organized by the Metropolitan Water District, have descriptions capturing the most intricate elements of the water art projects. The jurors - four public art managers and Westways magazine editor in chief John Lehrer - selected 20 projects that represent all regions served by the Metropolitan Water District and reflect water and its acquisition. Also, all of the projects had to be publicly accessible. Adan Ortega, the vice president of the water district's external affairs office, directed the ``Liquid Art'' program. While traveling in Spain, Ortega noticed that the public art projects - fountains, sculptures, murals and architecture - all had an underlying theme: a challenge that a society had to fight and overcome. He calls this theme the ``common quest,'' having noticed similar depictions throughout the world. Ortega wondered whether such a theme existed in Southern California, where cultures, languages and ideologies are so diverse that the 15 million- plus people who live here seemingly have nothing in common. He found the unifying element in water. ``Most people talk about how there's no commonality in Southern California,'' said Ortega. ``The issue of water and its acquisition has been a common quest.'' Getting water to Southern California has had its share of engineering triumphs and contentious politics Contentious politics is the use of disruptive techniques to make a political point, or to change government policy. Examples of such techniques are actions that disturb the normal activities of society such as demonstrations, general strike action, or civil disobedience. . An elaborate network of aqueducts, reservoirs and filtration plants import water from Northern California and the Colorado River, among other sources. Tapping into these faraway sources results in feuds with communities near the water, farmers, developers, businesses and environmentalists. With most of the ``Liquid Art'' entries using large quantities of water, Ortega said another criterion was that the projects had to reclaim water that they use. These are a few of the projects selected by the jury: --Seven of the Liquid Art selections are in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or . Mark Fuller and his firm WET Design, which popularized the pool-less fountains people can walk through and get soaked by - think Universal CityWalk - created the Music Center Fountain, with water shooting out from spouts embedded in the courtyard. Joseph Young created ``Topographical Map of Water Sources in Los Angeles'' using bricks and tile as geological features. Andrew Leicester fuses American Indian and art-deco styles for his ``Zanja Madre'' fountain on Figueroa Street, a tribute to the old ``Mother Ditch'' irrigation irrigation, in agriculture, artificial watering of the land. Although used chiefly in regions with annual rainfall of less than 20 in. (51 cm), it is also used in wetter areas to grow certain crops, e.g., rice. line that brought water into downtown. Also: --The Central Library and Union Station each have two pieces. The library has Jud Fine's cascading fountain ``Spine'' and Robert Graham's ``Source Figure'' pedestal sculpture. The station's east portal has ``City of Dreams City of Dreams is a historical novel by Beverly Swerling, published in 2001. It is the multi-generational history of a family of immigrants set in Nieuw Amsterdam and early Manhattan. , River of History,'' a mural, aquarium and two fountains by Richard Wyatt, May Sun and Paul Diez that are prominent elements. Upstairs from the east portal, ``Paseo Cesar Chavez Fountains,'' by Elsa Flores, Peter Shire and Robert Gil de Montes mon·tes n. Plural of mons. , decorate the Metropolitan Transportation Authority headquarters' exterior. --The California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton, commonly known as CSUF, CSU Fullerton, or Cal State Fullerton, is a part of the California State University system. The University is located in the city of Fullerton, California, in northern Orange County. , Visual Arts Center is the home of two projects. DeWain Valentine's ``Diamond Column'' uses more than 100 tons of concrete, steel, bronze, granite and glass. The fountains pump up water between pieces of glass and flow them down on the outside. Richard Turner's ``Wall Gazing Gallery'' gives new meaning to the term ``watershed.'' Inspired by Buddhist meditative shrines, Turner created a cedar structure covered by a corrugated cor·ru·gate v. cor·ru·gat·ed, cor·ru·gat·ing, cor·ru·gates v.tr. To shape into folds or parallel and alternating ridges and grooves. v.intr. sheet steel that directs water into a reflecting pool. Viewers can sit in the structure and listen to the soothing sounds of falling water. --Buster Simpson's ``Exchanger Fountain'' in Anaheim has form following function. A drinking fountain basin is inscribed in·scribe tr.v. in·scribed, in·scrib·ing, in·scribes 1. a. To write, print, carve, or engrave (words or letters) on or in a surface. b. To mark or engrave (a surface) with words or letters. with text spiraling toward the drain. The passage reads, ``Santa Ana your water nurtures and your hot winds cool. The water kissing your lips is an offering.'' Water, water everywhere VENTURA COUNTY ``The Five Senses,'' California Plaza, 450 E. Harbor Blvd., Ventura. ``Splash & Treading Water,'' Studio Channel Islands Art Center, 1 University Drive, Camarillo (at Lewis Road). LOS ANGELES COUNTY ``Music Center Fountain,'' Los Angeles Music Center The Music Center (officially named the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County) is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the nation. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Music Center is home to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theater, Mark Taper , 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. ``Source Figure,'' Grand Avenue at Fifth Street, Los Angeles. ``Spine,'' Los Angeles Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles. ``Topographical Map of Water Sources in Los Angeles,'' Los Angeles County Hall of Records, 320 W. Temple St., Los Angeles. ``City of Dreams, River of History,'' Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles. ``Paseo Cesar Chavez Fountains,'' MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. Transit Center, Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles. ``Zanja Madre,'' 801 Figueroa St., Los Angeles. ``Crossed Currents,'' 4343 Duquesne Ave., Culver City. ``Snake Basket Fountain,'' Telegraph Road at Norwalk Boulevard, Santa Fe Springs Santa Fe Springs, city (1990 pop. 15,520), Los Angeles co., SW Calif., inc. 1957. The city lies in an oil and natural gas region and has diversified manufacturing. . ``Blue Line Oasis,'' Artesia Blue Line Station, Artesia Boulevard between Alameda and Avalon, Compton. SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY ``Founder's Garden,'' Euclid Avenue between Haven and Millikin avenues, Ontario. ORANGE COUNTY ``Diamond Column,'' California State University, Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. ``Wall Gazing Gallery,'' California State University, Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. ``Exchanger Fountain,'' Harbor Place at Lemon Street, Anaheim. SAN DIEGO COUNTY ``Viewage,'' 18700 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego. ``Water Drop Fountain,'' San Diego County Water Authority Offices, 4677 Overland Ave., San Diego. ``Water Marks,'' Mission Trails Regional Park Mission Trails Regional Park is a 5,800 acre (23 km²) open space preserve within the city of San Diego, California. It is the sixth largest municipally-owned park in the United States, and the largest in California. , 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego. ``Water Conservation Garden,'' Cuyamaca College, 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, El Cajon. CAPTION(S): 5 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) ``Spine,'' by Venice artist Jud Fine, pays tribute to the role water played in evolution. Two details from the piece are shown above and inset. (3 -- 4 -- color) Andrew Leicester's ``Zanja Madre,'' far left, recalls the main irrigation line that brought water into downtown Los Angeles at the turn of the century. ``Crossed Currents,'' by Don Merkt, is a stainless-steel pitcher tipping into Ballona Creek. (5 -- color) The artificial fountain ``Blue Line Oasis'' by Lynn Aldrich, at the Artesia train station, has blue and white mosaic tiles for water and steel pieces for coins. Box: WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE (see text) |
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