NEW YORK, NY.- WET, creator of community experiences using nature’s elements, announces the unveiling of Revson Fountain in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of Lincoln Center’s Celebration. WET was commissioned to redesign the fountain in Josie Robertson Plaza as part of the Lincoln Center Transformation. The world’s leading performing arts center desired to enhance the visitor experience while uniting The Plaza with its surrounding, modern cityscape. WET’s design program targeted these objectives while paying homage to the original fountain, designed by Philip Johnson.
“We wanted to bring a vibrant new energy to The Plaza while maintaining the historical legacy of the existing fountain,” says WET CEO Mark Fuller, who worked with Philip Johnson on numerous fountain projects. “To us, this fountain expresses the synthesis of strong, expressive architecture and the passion of performance—a fitting piece for Lincoln Center .”
Maintaining the original fountain’s circular shape and approximate size, WET designed a new feature of three tightly spaced rings of water jets along the circle’s perimeter. Inside the band of rings are radial lines of MicroShooters® that spout water over two stories into the air. Illuminating this newly-added technology with subtle PicoLights™ results in a fluid conversation between the water and light.
The choreography consists of two separate shows that can be likened to a person’s wardrobe—proper work clothes for the daytime and more formal attire in the evening. The daytime show is a 1.5-hour continuously looping sequence of slowly developing kinetic sculptures within the fountain. It begins with gradual “breathing” of slow vertical movements, alternating the heights of the center and the outer sleeves of water. Intermingled with the breaths are more active moments of geometric patterns.
The evening show, beginning at 7 PM, infuses a dynamic energy and brilliant white light into The Plaza, becoming its focal point. The Fountain’s graceful sophistication seamlessly transitions through pulsing cylinders to chasing spirals and explosive bursts of water up to 25 feet in the air. At times, the choreography mimics a rocking boat or the enthusiastic applause of an audience all the while complementing the elegance of its surroundings.
The intricate animation of water gives life to the entire plaza. And from a conservation perspective, WET’s technology allows the water to flow through a purification system which filters the water and recycles it back into the fountain.
Surrounded by The Metropolitan Opera, The New York Philharmonic and the world’s finest theatres and recital halls, the new Revson Fountain is at home amongst fellow performers.
