A Fountain for Survivors

With our upcoming “Intervention in Public Space” project as well as all the conversations we’ve held in class surrounding public installation work, I was reminded of a public monument that was recently erected in Times Square in New York City: “A Fountain For Survivors.” This piece, created by artist Pamela Council, is an 18-foot wishing water fountain adorned with a mosaic of over 400,000 colorful acrylic nails, which is available to the public from October 7th to December 8th, 2021. Commissioned by the public arts program Times Square Arts, “A Fountain for Survivors” serves as “both an ode to the ways in which we maintain ourselves and an exuberant life-affirming monument for survivors of all kinds.”

Council described the fountain as an offering to survivors of all kinds: “adorned and protected by a carapace of hundreds of thousands of acrylic fingernails, this fountain is my dedication and offering to Survivors and is open to the public that is outside in Times Square.”

What particularly strikes me about this public installation is the contrast between the maximalist, colorful exterior versus the serene, dreamier interior. In a public place that is as busy and tumultuous as Times Square, I really love how Council strived to create an intimate space that brings beauty and a sense of organicness to the urban location. I haven’t had the opportunity to visit in person, but when I go back home for Thanksgiving Break I would love to visit and experience this piece for myself while it is still on display!