Fountain of Knowledge
Artist
Ben Tré, Howard
(American, 1949 - 2020)
Artist
David Small
(American, born 1965)
Date2001-2002
OriginUnited States of America
MediumCast glass, bronze, laminated glass
Dimensions28 × 108 in. (71.1 × 274.3 cm)
ClassificationsGlass
Credit LineGift of the Bleakhorn Foundation
Object number2017.133
Label TextHoward Ben Tré (American, born 1949)
Fountain of Inspiration. Fountain design and fabrication, cast glass, laminated glass, and bronze, 2001-2002
David Small (American, born 1965)
Hall of Ideas. Digital design and projection; The Mary Baker Eddy Library (Est. Boston), original compilation of quotes, 2001
Gift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
Real-time computer animations, created by American designer David Small, are projected and integrated into the design of this literary wellspring. Virtual letters emanate from the enter of the Fountain of Inspiration sculpture and form words that merge into swirling quotes on the surface of the water. They continue to move with the radiating motion of the water, spill as words onto the courtyard’s floor, and travel up the walls to reassemble as quotations by celebrated public figures.
The cast glass and bronze Fountain of Inspiration provides the physical source for the quotes. It was designed by American sculptor Howard Ben Tré, whose work often references traditional architectural forms, such as stupas, spires, minarets and obelisks. Here, an archetypal hemispherical vessel form serves as the Hall of Idea’s symbolic point of departure. This work was originally commissioned by The Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston, Massachusetts and exhibited in the library’s central hall from 2002 to 2016.
Status
On view
