Under the Laurentide, 2015
Hunter Labs, Brown University, Providence, RI
Chelmsford granite
2’-3” x 7’-1” x 10’-6”

Photography: Warren Jagger, courtesy Brown University

For this permanent installation at the Hunter Labs at Brown University, I wanted to focus on the waterways in and around Providence, creating a seeming reversal of the figure ground relationship between the water and the land. The water table is made out of Chelmsford granite and was hand-cut by local artisan Jack Alphonso to my exacting specifications- detailing the intricate waterways in and around Narragansett Bay, revealing the terrain below sea level.

Discrete water weirs allow water to percolate up at the highest point inland and flow through the incised topography of the table, and flow off the side where the topography is at its lowest point, allowing the water to take its natural course. The water flows over the edge of the table onto loose stones at the base and then recirculated by a pump concealed in the base of the fountain.

Related Press:

• Rubinton, Noel. Where to See (Really See) the Art of Maya Lin. The New York Times (October 20, 2017)