Second to None
THE CROWN FOUNTAIN
Just a short stroll across Millennium
Park is another massive contemporary
piece, The Crown Fountain by Jaume
Plensa, which stands in stark contrast
to the Bean, despite their similarity in
scale. If Kapoor’s piece is a vision of
minimalism, Plensa’s work is a maximal
magnum opus—a sensory playground
meant to enthrall, amuse and unite a
diverse urban community. The work
was made possible by the uber philanthropic Crown family, which desired to
make a civic donation in the form of a
water feature in Millennium Park.
Photo by Brian Hillegas. Via Flickr.
48
PEACHY
A number of contemporary artists
were considered for the commission,
but it was Barcelona sculptor Jaume
Plensa who ultimately was chosen.
Known primarily for his conceptual
work, Plensa researched the historical
and philosophical nature of the fountain before engaging in his design. The
more he considered the fountain as a
trope, the more he became intrigued.
Transforming the concept of a fountain
into a visionary and socially relevant
piece of public art was a challenge
which enthralled the artist. “Plensa was
immediately captivated by the chance
to co-opt an ancient, historical symbol,
a fountain, a meeting place where once
people came to obtain water, the substance of life, exchanged ideas, learned
of each other’s accomplishments, consoled one another in their losses and
celebrated their common humanity.”
The possibility of creating a contemporary work with a distinct tie to the past
also dovetailed with the artist’s interest
in time as an organizing principle for
his work: “I have always maintained
that sculpture has more to do with time
than with such secondary problems as
scale or space—this concept of time as
the sediment of experiences within a
general memory where our recollections
also fit. The finished work begins it own