The crash and spray of water hitting water will give New Yorkers a new reason to look up this summer.
The New York City Waterfalls are opening June 26, creating a manmade version of a natural phenomenon that is difficult to find in this largely flat city.
In Manhattan and Brooklyn and on Governors Island, the four falls will suck gallons of water from the East River, pump the water up to 120 feet in the air and spray it back down for all to see.
The artist Olafur Eliasson, famous for his recreations of nature, dreamed up the idea for the falls. He wants to bare the water to the elements — gravity, wind and light — to draw attention to a part of New York that he thinks is too often overlooked.
“This is a call for the revitalization of areas that until recently have been under-utilized as creative and recreational spaces because people have focused primarily on the interior grid of the city,” Eliasson said in a statement. “There is a huge unrealized potential waiting to be explored and this is located right at our feet.”
The scaffolding structure of the waterfalls is already in place at Pier 35 in Manhattan, the north shore of Governors Island, the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge and Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn. Starting next Thursday, the water will rise and fall seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. until Oct. 13, with lights that turn on at dusk.
The Public Art Fund sponsored the $15.5 million project with private funding and a $2 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. The city Economic Development Corporation expects the project to add $55 million to the city’s economy.
Lest anyone worry that the fish in the East River will suddenly find themselves flung through the air, the Public Art Fund reassures that the project will not disrupt any of the harbor’s wildlife. Also, all the energy needed to keep the water moving will come from renewable resources, keeping with the “green” theme.
“There’s this abundance of water [in the city], but it’s something we take for granted,” said Rochelle Steiner, director of the Public Art Fund. “This is a great opportunity to showcase a part of the city we don’t always pay attention to.”
The falls will be visible from the Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan waterfronts, and from Governors Island. The free ferries to Staten Island and Governors Island will also provide a good look, and Circle Line Downtown will run the “official” tours with audio commentary from Eliasson every 45 minutes starting at noon on June 26. Tickets will cost $10 but a limited number will be given out free every day to people who call 866-9-C-LINE-1.
For more information, visit nycwaterfalls.org.
— Julie Shapiro
