How to design a fountain

How to design a fountain Designing a fountain is easy First you need water or something else liquid? When you have water? Make it do something Make her walk Make her talk Make her dance or make her cry Be with her Take care of her and you will have a friend. How to design a fountain is a poem about identifying fountains; comparing and finding similarities between fountains and living objects such as movement, flow, sound and emotions. What is a fountain? For me, a fountain can be divided into two different categories: 1) monuments 2) art installations Aldo Rossi describes a monument as objects that bear witness to the presence of the past in the present and as such, are a reflection of our collective memory. Distinguishing an art installation from a monument, an art installation does not have the reflection of our collective memory. It is just a man-made artifact. Fountain in the most simplistic way: combine water (or liquid?) with an element of surprise, admiration, or appreciation. By doing so, a person gives meaning to the creation. Meaning of the urban artifact, such as fountain, can be different for every person. For example: for one, a fountain can be a place to think, to other, a place to wash, drink, swim, play or meet with friends. Furthermore, it can have a constant change of identities, functions and meanings. A Manneken Pis in Brussels, Belgium is an example of changing identity of a monument regarding to different events with the change of the clothes that the monument is wearing. Example of changing the function: The place of the Lydia Koidula park fountain is used as a stage for light installations during the winter months in Pärnu, Estonia, when the fountains are turned off. For the creation to become important in one’s life; It has to have a special bond between the person and the object. The same effect is also between two people and similar effect should also be between the creator and the artifact. To make an artifact special, people should treat it with the same care and attention as they do living creatures. This highlights the importance of designing fountains that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also have a meaningful connection to the people who interact with the fountains. During the research I visited different fountains in Melbourne; spent time and „talked“ with the Walker fountain, Grey Street fountain and Macpherson Robertson Fountain. Meeting these three fountains; their existence to people is irrelevant, people do not interact with the fountains and these fountains exist only as simple objects. People walk past the fountains and often do not even notice the fountain. This raises the question of how to design a fountain that is meaningful to people, one that brings people together and makes the fountain an important artifact in the city. How to increase the communication, relationship and caretaking between people and a fountain; To achieve this, there must be a symbiotic relationship between the person and the fountain. The symbiosis between people and fountains is a critical factor in creating a sense of place and fostering community. If there is no communication, relationship and caretaking between people and the fountains, they have no reason to exist; they do not „say“ anything to us. While fountains (can) have an impact on the the air quality, biodiversity and temperature of the city; fountains should not be designed just for these reasons or there will be a chance that the communication between people and a fountain will be lost and the fountain will not be used by people. People do things because they want to do it. To make communication between people and the fountain, people have to want to have the communication with the fountain.