Waterfalls

Videos of Oafur Eliasson's Waterfalls, NYC



Olafur Eliasson's Waterfalls in NYC have been the most discussed installation since Christo's The Gates. Both required lots of people that don't normally work together to get along (art and government don't play nicely), but the Gates was funded by Christo & Jean-Claude and Waterfalls is funded bythe taxpayers of NYC.

When government supports the arts, great things happen. Waterfalls were possible because of NYC Mayor Bloomberg's passion for contemporary art. Mayor Giuliani once tried to ban an exhibit and cut off the museum's public funding because it was contained poop. He was found guilty of violating the first amendment in a court of law.

That is what is great about the arts, the freedom to look or not look at it, turn the music off if you don't like it, or just walk away. Public officials shouldn't decide what is art, and America is a place where the freedom to express yourself is important. Even if your medium of choice is poo.

Oh yeah, and check out this wacked out interview with Basquiat. Drugs are bad, m'kay.