litratong pinoy#26:bago nga kaya?

naaalala niyo ba yung kanta ng grupong TLC noon na may lirikong, "don't go chasing waterfalls"?

ang kabaligtaran nito ang ginawa ko. kamakailan lang ay dinayo ko ang bukambibig na pampublikong obra maestra ng danish artist na si olafur eliasson sa lungsod ng new york--bagong atraksyon sa mga turista na binansagang "new york city waterfalls."

ano kamo? mga talon sa new york city? oo...pero artipisyal nga lang na itinayo sa apat na lokasyon sa gawing timog ng manhattan sa may ilog hudson. ito ay bahagi ng proyektong public art fund ng new york at matatagpuan sa tulay ng brooklyn (unang litrato), pier 35 (pangalawang litrato), brooklyn piers at governor's island.

ang eksibisyong ito ay sinimulan noong hunyo at natapos nito lamang oktubre 13, araw ni columbus. mabuti na lang at nakahabol pa ako.

sumakay kami ng circle line downtown na ferry sa south street seaport, ang opisyal na tagahatid ng mga turista sa apat na talon sa ilog hudson. sa halagang $10 ay makikita mo ng malapitan ang bawat talon at may eksklusibong maikling pahayag pa si ginoong eliasson tungkol sa kanyang mga obra.

nagkaroon ng kontrobersya ang mga talon na ito dahil sa "environmental impact" nito sa mga establisyimento at mga panauhin na natalsikan ng maalat na tubig mula sa pagbagsak ng talon, lalo na yung mula sa brooklyn bridge na talon. ang resulta nito ay binawasan ang oras ng pagbuhos ng mga talon.

magarbo...ambisyoso...kahanga-hanga. 'yan ang NYC waterfalls.

[remember that song by the group TLC with the lyrics, "don't go chasing waterfalls?"

i did the exact opposite. just recently, i visited the much talked-about public art masterpiece by danish artist olafur eliasson in new york city--the new tourist attraction known as the "new york city waterfalls."

pardon me, you say? waterfalls in new york city? yes, but they're only artificial and they are built in four different locations south of manhattan in the hudson river. this project is part of new york's public art fund and can be seen at the brooklyn bridge (first photo), pier 35 (second photo), brooklyn piers and governor's island.

this exhibit began in june and ended on october 13th, columbus day. good thing i was still able to catch it.

we rode the circle line downtown ferry which is the official vessel that brings tourists to all four waterfalls in the hudson river. for $10, you can have an up-close view of each waterfall and an exclusive short introduction by mr. eliasson himself about his work.

there was a controversy about the waterfalls concerning its "environmental impact" to nearby establishments and people who got sprinkled with the salty mist coming from the waterfalls, especially those from the brooklyn bridge falls. the result was that they shortened the hours of operation of such waterfalls.

extravagant, ambitious, impressive--that's the NYC waterfalls.]