Take Me to the Source by Rupert Wright

Author:Rupert Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409077800
Publisher: Random House

Hydrostatic pressure is the technique that garden designers have used since Roman times to force jets of water up in the air. It does not rely on pumps or volume of water, but is determined solely by the head, which is the distance from the main body of water to the outlet. Assuming you have enough water – and you can do this by allowing for a slight overflow – you can create a constant jet of water that will hold in the same position for centuries. ‘I was intrigued by a jet of water that came out of a hole in a wall and into a frog’s mouth,’ says Pye. ‘So I set out to find how it was done and to emulate it.’ Aston Triangle, made in 1984, exemplifies this technique: two stainless steel poles make up two sides of a triangle, which is planted in a pond. Water shoots out at regular intervals from each pole, creating a trellis effect. Another technique he uses is the roll-wave. He discovered this in Wales. ‘Every summer we would go to the Black Mountains and it would rain every day. As we walked I noticed the waves of water pouring down the roads. The smoother the surface, the better the wave effect. Polished stainless steel is the best for patterning. It can also be used on a vertical surface.’ It is this discovery that is used in Slipstream and Jetstream at Gatwick Airport.

Another possibility is to create a vortex or a spiral of water. This is achieved by putting a spin on the water before it leaves the outlet, rather like a bowler putting spin on a cricket ball. Perhaps Pye’s most peculiar effect is shown in a work such as Tarantella. Here the water has been treated before the outlet to get the molecules to run in parallel so that the jets stay together, rather than breaking up. The spray looks surreal, like pieces of rope. ‘People don’t believe it’s water until they touch it and get wet,’ laughs Pye.

Pye believes that we haven’t learnt much more about water than the ancients already knew, and indeed that water’s potential is ultimately quite limited. However, he thinks it is all about refinement. ‘To be honest, I am bored by huge fountain displays, with lights and sound. I am more interested in precision, almost minimalism, using controlled nozzles. I like the simplicity and stillness of water. I like the range of different sounds. Water captures your imagination.’

Recently he came across his first fountain, the statue of the boy blowing the water into the pond. The grandson of the man he sold it to – a family friend – got in touch. It was in need of restoration, so Pye mended the work and took the opportunity of casting himself a bronze copy. At his studio in south London he is preparing an exhibition for the Royal British Society of Sculptors and a bid for some work in the Millennium Park in Chicago.

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