Under the Laurentide (granite, water | 2014)

Renowned artist and architect Maya Lin is “constantly exploring and revealing aspects of the natural world [such as] places that are hidden beneath the surface of the water…”

Lin has always been fascinated by the movement of water. Best known for her underdog design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., much of her work is inspired by one’s connection and responsibility to landscapes and the environment. President Barack Obama awarded Lin the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, the nation’s highest civilian award, for “bringing awareness to the planet’s loss of habitat and biodiversity.”

Chiseled from Chelmsford granite stone carved at Riverside Stone Company in Seekonk, MA just beyond the Rhode Island border, the surface is a 3D contour rendering of the topography of the Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island’s largest water source. Small openings gently pump water across the stone terrain and through glass dams that are placed at the edges of the table, where water naturally leaves the Bay.

The piece is named after the Laurentide Ice Sheet that covered most of North America over 20,000 years ago which shaped the Narragansett Bay and landscape of the present-day Northeast. Today, widespread pollution and rising sea levels threaten the Bay and its surrounding coastline. Thus, Under the Laurentide is a striking reminder of the reality of climate change and the importance of the work being done at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society.

As its title suggests, Under the Laurentide seeks to uncover hidden terrain that lay beneath an ice sheet for thousands of years and to provoke viewers to think about their connection to the land they inhabit. Lin reflected, “I hope they walk away from it with a curiosity and an awareness of the landscape that is quite literally underfoot.” At Brown, portraits -- of people, of water and land, of loss, of learning and pride -- are hidden all around us, waiting to be discovered. Carve beneath the surface of what you know -- juxtapose objects, read into labels, question history. You will be surprised and empowered by what you will discover.

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

One acre of water in the four-acre park here today represents a vital part of early Providence history. The water is a reminder of the hundreds of acres of brackish water that covered the area that Roger Williams knew as the Great Salt Cove. Over time the water was drained, the land filled, and by 1898 all water had been drained to support laying railroad tracks for a booming transportation industry that supported the successful commercial businesses of Providence. Times changed; businesses declined; the downtown area languished. However, the River Relocation Project of the 1980s and 1990s brought life back to the Providence city center and with it a reimagining of the water that once ran through it. Today, Waterplace Park and the surrounding areas are home to walking paths, restaurants, concerts and WaterFire.

Imagine the smoky smell of bonfire fire, the crisp sound of wood crackling, and the warmth of thousands of people gathered around the rivers to witness the city’s star attraction, WaterFire. The performance art piece first opened in 1994 with eleven braziers lit on the water. By 1998, 81 braziers were installed and thousands of people a night came to see the mesmerizing performance credited with bringing pedestrians back downtown.

Following decades of industrial decay in downtown Providence, few people made their way to the heart of the city. Artist Barnaby Evans wanted to create a space where people could gather and walk together along the newly engineered Rivers that flow through downtown. The newly unveiled River Project was a blank canvas for Evans to work, and as a city dweller he was dedicated to making the space a destination for pedestrians. "By design, there is no point where you can see the whole installation at once, so you mingle with other citizens as you walk," said Evans. "It is designed so people can interact with each other, with the artwork and with the urban environment.” Using public art to rethink urban space, Evans made Waterplace Park a destination for locals and tourists alike.  Over a million visitors have walked along the Riverwalk to see Providence’s star attraction.

Today, over eighty wood burning fires, a music program, and street performers lure visitors and residents alike to Waterplace Park and the Providence Riverwalk on WaterFire evenings. Former Mayor, Buddy Cianci, once said, “There is nothing like it anywhere in the world, even in Florence or Venice.”

For more (including 2 images & 2 audio files) view the original article