New Yorkers may be looking up for once, thanks to the Water Tank Project, a 12-week public art initiative that's invited a slew of celebrity artists and local residents to design 300 water tanks throughout the five boroughs. The colorful tanks, slated to be decorated spring of 2013, include an impressive roster of hotshots like Jay-Z, Catherine Opie, Ed Ruscha, Marilyn Minter, Clifford Ross, and Lawrence Weiner. The ambitious project is also set to feature a school competition, an audio and video tour, and a snazzy app designed by the king of sustainability himself, Yves Béhar.
On Monday, Whole Foods Markets announced that it raised over $60K for the initiative—what the Water Tank Project is calling a real “watershed" moment on their Facebook page. Nice one, guys.
The water tank initiative is sponsored by Word Above the Street, a New York non-profit dedicated to environmental awareness and water conservation. The project’s founder, filmmaker and activist Mary Jordan, told the Times, "We’re hoping this project inspires New York to become more sustainable." Also spearheading the spruce-up tank effort are Lisa Dennison, chairman of Sotheby’s, and Neville Wakefield, senior curatorial adviser for MoMA PS1.
According to the Water Tank Project’s website, “We want New York City to look up again, to dream big, to feel proud, to do something, to create, to share, to believe.” Sounds good to us! It’s high time someone fill the skyline with orange eyeballs, empty bowls, cryptic words, and umbrellas. In the meantime, renders in the gallery.
?Amna Siddiqui
· The Water Tank Project [Word Above the Street]
· The Water Tank Project [Facebook]
· Public Art coverage [Curbed]
Loading comments...