Gary Fisher
Selected Art Fountains
Kinetic Copper Waterbell Fountain, 2012, 24"dia x 42"h
(spun copper dish, cherry veneered MDF pedestal, glass reservoir, custom nozzle, patented control electronics, rear mounted control panel, custom software, low voltage pump, valves)
A free standing fountain where a large water bell dynamically changes shape in response to music or environmental sounds or can vary according to a program with random elements so that the behavior never exactly repeats.
A free standing fountain where a large water bell dynamically changes shape in response to music or environmental sounds or can vary according to a program with random elements so that the behavior never exactly repeats.
Trompe L'oeil Fountain #3, 2016-2017 12"x6"x3"
(acrylic, pump, electronic audio sound board, amplifier, embedded speaker, natural soundscapes)
The fountain depicts a stylized interpretation of islands in a slowly undulating sea. I have used an audio analog to visual tromp l'oeil by incorporating soundscapes recorded from nature into the fountain. As with visual tromp l'oeil, a person experiencing the fountain will naturally assume that the sound is consistent with the water behavior, although on close examination one will unexpectedly find that it is not.
The fountain depicts a stylized interpretation of islands in a slowly undulating sea. I have used an audio analog to visual tromp l'oeil by incorporating soundscapes recorded from nature into the fountain. As with visual tromp l'oeil, a person experiencing the fountain will naturally assume that the sound is consistent with the water behavior, although on close examination one will unexpectedly find that it is not.
© 2017 - 2021 Gary Fisher
I have been designing fountains since 1993. My impetus from the beginning has been to let water behavior and sound be primary in my designs. My art fountains all tend to be minimalist in nature. My later work has incorporated patented electronics to generate patterns on water surfaces and behind vertical screens. The results tend to be subtle and stem from a long time interest in investigating ways to explore moment to moment awareness.
From 2008 to the present I have designed a number of functional art fountains as aids for sleep, meditation and for persons coping with tinnitus. With one exception, these are not shown on this site.
Lately I have been developing art fountains employing naturally recorded soundscapes and slowly moving water movement. These I term "trompe l'oeil fountains" because of their conceptual similarity to tromp l'oeil effects in the visual arts. Depending on the combined water and sound behaviors in a particular piece, the result can be perceptually congruent or paradoxical.
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From 2008 to the present I have designed a number of functional art fountains as aids for sleep, meditation and for persons coping with tinnitus. With one exception, these are not shown on this site.
Lately I have been developing art fountains employing naturally recorded soundscapes and slowly moving water movement. These I term "trompe l'oeil fountains" because of their conceptual similarity to tromp l'oeil effects in the visual arts. Depending on the combined water and sound behaviors in a particular piece, the result can be perceptually congruent or paradoxical.
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Kinetic Beading Waterbell, 2006 14"x14"x36" (detail)
(acrylic translucent screen, mesh screen, custom waterbell nozzle, Baltic birch ply pedestal, LED screen lighting, patented control electronics, custom software, pump)
A shape changing water bell dynamically changes shape in response to a fixed program with random elements so that the behavior never exactly repeats. As the waterbell changes shape, a symmetrical, glistening pattern of water beads morphs in diameter in relation to the changing outer diameter of the water bell sheet.
A shape changing water bell dynamically changes shape in response to a fixed program with random elements so that the behavior never exactly repeats. As the waterbell changes shape, a symmetrical, glistening pattern of water beads morphs in diameter in relation to the changing outer diameter of the water bell sheet.
Waterwall, 2006, 14.5"x9.5"x56" (detail)
(acrylic translucent lensatic screen, acrylic, Lexan, glass, Baltic birch ply, LED lighting, patented screen assembly, patented control electronics, custom software, pump)
This free-standing water wall generates a range of dynamic patterned effects ranging from a profusion of evolving bubbles to undulating, falling streams of water that change over time. This behavior is separated from the viewer space by a clear glass front panel. Random elements are incorporated so that the same sequence of patterns never repeats.
This free-standing water wall generates a range of dynamic patterned effects ranging from a profusion of evolving bubbles to undulating, falling streams of water that change over time. This behavior is separated from the viewer space by a clear glass front panel. Random elements are incorporated so that the same sequence of patterns never repeats.
Walnut Wave Fountain, 2008, 16"x1.5"x5.5"
(walnut, epoxy, acrylic, custom water manifold, flow adjustment valve, pump, tubing)
This is a minimalist (scalable) fountain with three water jets in a walnut enclosure. Water exiting the jets fills the platform and forms interference patterns on the water surface. The influence of surface tension effects at the platform periphery is modified by flow rate into a below-platform manifold.
This is a minimalist (scalable) fountain with three water jets in a walnut enclosure. Water exiting the jets fills the platform and forms interference patterns on the water surface. The influence of surface tension effects at the platform periphery is modified by flow rate into a below-platform manifold.
Islands Water Sculpture, 1995, 2009, 18"x12"x5"
(1995 version: acrylic platform, acrylic enclosure, pump, natural river rocks)
(2009 version: acrylic platform, acrylic enclosure, patented control electronics, custom software, pump, natural river rocks)
Having roots in symbolic naturalism, this fountain was originally conceived as a dynamic water analog to a formal Japanese Zen garden. A submerged pump outputs water below one of the rocks forming patterns on the surface of the platform that move among the rock elements evoking the feeling of ocean waves surrounding islands.
(2009 version: acrylic platform, acrylic enclosure, patented control electronics, custom software, pump, natural river rocks)
Having roots in symbolic naturalism, this fountain was originally conceived as a dynamic water analog to a formal Japanese Zen garden. A submerged pump outputs water below one of the rocks forming patterns on the surface of the platform that move among the rock elements evoking the feeling of ocean waves surrounding islands.
SonaCube Sound Fountain, 2008-2016 6"x6"x6"
(acrylic translucent bubble chamber, acrylic enclosure, vibration isolation base, acoustic baffle, submersible pump, flow control valve)
The fountain combines designed-in auditory and visual effects. Visually, a chaotically changing profusion of water and air bubbles evolve within a translucent chamber on the top of the fountain while dynamically modifying the sound that the fountain produces. (There have been a number of variations of this fountain made between 2008 and 2016 as auditory aids for meditation and tinnitus).
The fountain combines designed-in auditory and visual effects. Visually, a chaotically changing profusion of water and air bubbles evolve within a translucent chamber on the top of the fountain while dynamically modifying the sound that the fountain produces. (There have been a number of variations of this fountain made between 2008 and 2016 as auditory aids for meditation and tinnitus).
Maple Platform Fountain, 2006-2008 20"x26"x29.5" (detail)
(maple veneered Baltic birch reservoir, acrylic water platform, multiple nozzles, water manifold, patented electronic control, custom software, pump, double-thickness Baltic Birch x-support base)
The water platform appears to float at the surface of an over-sized wooden frame much like a contained infinity pool. Flow variations and jet pulsing cause patterns on the water surface to evolve over time. Behaviors include interference patterns increasing and decreasing in amplitude, patterns slowly decreasing until the water surface becomes completely still, and pulsing patterns generated by slow to rapid flow rate variations of the jet outputs.
The water platform appears to float at the surface of an over-sized wooden frame much like a contained infinity pool. Flow variations and jet pulsing cause patterns on the water surface to evolve over time. Behaviors include interference patterns increasing and decreasing in amplitude, patterns slowly decreasing until the water surface becomes completely still, and pulsing patterns generated by slow to rapid flow rate variations of the jet outputs.
Pulsing Tube, 2007 5"x5"x18"
(bent acrylic tubing, acrylic reservoir, patented electronic control, custom software, pump)
A colored liquid rises and falls within an acrylic tube. The intent is to engage the viewer with a mix of predictable and unpredictable behavior. Random elements in the presentation make each viewing unique.
A colored liquid rises and falls within an acrylic tube. The intent is to engage the viewer with a mix of predictable and unpredictable behavior. Random elements in the presentation make each viewing unique.
Tubular Water Gap Fountain, 2007 9"x5"x8" (scalable)
(bent, distressed acrylic tubing, acrylic, pump, valve, milled oak reservoir)
This is one of a number of small fountains designed as models for large sculptural fountain installations. In an indoor application acrylic tubing could be formed in a curvilinear shape and heat distressed to yield a fine network of expansion bubbles spaced along the outer surface of the tube. Alternatively, the tubing can be fabricated in stainless steel or copper for outdoor installations. In this model one end of the tube is radially coincident with a mating second tube that rises above a platform with water being pumped into the first tube. Alternatively, a below level off-axis concave conical surface could be specified in which a vortex would form when the fountain is actuated.
This is one of a number of small fountains designed as models for large sculptural fountain installations. In an indoor application acrylic tubing could be formed in a curvilinear shape and heat distressed to yield a fine network of expansion bubbles spaced along the outer surface of the tube. Alternatively, the tubing can be fabricated in stainless steel or copper for outdoor installations. In this model one end of the tube is radially coincident with a mating second tube that rises above a platform with water being pumped into the first tube. Alternatively, a below level off-axis concave conical surface could be specified in which a vortex would form when the fountain is actuated.