A massive brutalist sculpture in San Francisco, which collapses about 54 years after its unveiling, is at the center of a heated debate. The city weighs the possibility of destroying it while a coalition of conservationists and road cats are committed to their preservation.
In the meantime, Vaillancourt Fountain is fenced for an indefinite period on Embarcadero Plaza (also known as an embarcadero fountain). His dilapidated illness is a risk of public security, said the authorities.
The sculpture The reinforced concrete stands up 40 feet and weighs 710 tons. Designed by the Quebec artist Armand Vaillancourt and revealed in 1971, the work is “an icon of brutalism,” explained Documomo, a non -profit organization that is devoted to the documentation and maintenance of modern movement called for his maintenance. (The name is brief for the documentation and preservation of modern movement.) “This resistant monument survived the earthquake of Loma Prieta from 1989 and all attempts to implement over his life,” said the organization, which it described as the best -known public sculpture of the city.
The Vaillancourt fountain in 1971, in which it was unveiled. With the kind permission of San Francisco Civic Art Collection.
The work of art has always been controversial. To a poster That is near the monument. The San Francisco Arts Commission describes it as “a destroyed bunch of building blocks, overthrown and abandoned by a gigantic and disappointed child”. The answers to the work of art, it explained, ranged from “a hideous monstrosity” to “Stonehenge with plumber problems”.
Many public protests started on the Plaza, Documomo noticed, and that started with the sculpture. Vaillancourt itself, a separatist of Quebec, wrote “Quebec Libre!” On the fountain the night before the unveiling. When the city immediately removed the news, Vaillancourt appeared at the inauguration ceremony to repeat it again. No less a figure than Bono from U2 sprayed the words “Rock and Roll Stops traffic” on the fountain during a free concert in 1987.
San Francisco Recreation and Park Department commissioned an independent report on the sculpture for a renovation of 30 million US dollars, the Embarcadero Plaza and the nearby Sue Bierman Park comprise in a single room that covers around five acres. The office estimates that it will cost between 12 and 17 million US dollars to renovate the work of art, and that future maintenance will cost around $ 100,000 annually. The engine that drove water through the structure went upstairs a year ago. The estimates have 3 million US dollars to replace the engine alone.
A man and his dog will pass the Vaillancourt fountain at the Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco, California on Wednesday, December 16, 2020.
The architecture company Page and Turnbull found that the crumbling structure contains asbestos and lead and remains of seismic security codes. On the basis of this year, the employees of relaxation and park came to the conclusion that not only the well is unsure for the public, but is also not certain for maintenance workers to repair it. “The well not only falls apart – it is dangerous” San Francisco Chronicle. “The structure is cracked, corroded and lack of key support. Add the mix lead and asbestos, and it is a serious security risk. Therefore, we are now fencing it to protect the public while long -term decisions are made.”
The piece is included in the San Francisco Civic Art Collection. After public hearings and a possible coordination of the Supervisory Board, the art commission will make a decision on the work.
The alarms went out for Vaillancourt and architecture rods when a preliminary reproduction of the new park did not contain the Vaillancourt fountain, but city officials said that this did not mean that the sculpture is intended for the demolition.
The 95-year-old artist undertook the 3,000-mile trip from Quebec to the Bay Area to work for his namesake fountain.
“I'm here to save this work of art,” said the artist's artist chronicle.