Floating World Sylvia Tidwell and Calvin Abe		Print This Page Email This Page

Location

Eldorado Park Aquatic and Fitness Center

2301 N. Miller Road (at the corner of Oak and Miller, just south of Thomas)

City of Scottsdale website for pool hours and programs

Introduction

After three years of planning and construction, the art for the Eldorado Aquatic Center is now complete. The project, which first started with the approval of the 2000 Bond Election, revitalizes the City of Scottsdale 's oldest community public pool and includes creative concepts by artist team Sylvia Tidwell and Calvin Abe. Their work, an escape from the generally dry desert, contributes to the pool's note as a refreshing and peaceful water refuge.

Award

In December 2003, Floating World was awarded the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Southern California 2003 Quality of Life Design Merit Award in the category of Landscape Art. Scottsdale Public Art Program's list of recent awards.

Artist Team

Sylvia Tidwell

Sylvia Tidwell is a painter and sculptor whose public artwork includes Web, which was reviewed in the national magazine Sculpture, along with her completion of a project for the Scottsdale Public Art Program, serving as part of a citywide Sites Around the City: Arts and Environment festival in the Phoenix area, hosted by the Arizona State University Art Museum.

Calvin Abe

Calvin Abe has worked as a landscape architect since 1979. He then established his own studio Calvin R. Abe Associates in 1987, working on projects and designs dealing with gardens, public plazas and streets, landscape restoration, public and private parks and public housing and transportation. He has installed projects throughout California as well as in China , Korea and The United Arab Emirates.

Calvin has also completed many site specific environmental installations, one in which was completed in 1999 for the Japanese American Community Culture Center. His designs and installations are completed with the commitment to heal the natural environment and conserve water and energy.

Art Concept Overview

Based on input from a public focus groups, at which many pool users spoke of the buoyancy, lightness and freedom they felt in the water, and of their exaultant and peaceful feelings as they gazed up into the sky, the artist team, Sylvia Tidwell and Calvin Abe, began to think of Eldorado Pool as a refuge of air and water that rises above the desert that surrounds it.

Floating World embraces the elements of water and sky, situated within the surrounding desert. Its focus is a stunning river that flows downstream, skirting its way through the pool-house, between the pools, and ends at the site's perimeter. Overhead, a "sky" ceiling encompasses the pool-house with pillow-like clouds stationed across the expanse of the interior.

The pool area is divided with s-curve benches and a series of enormous blue umbrellas. Each curve of the bench mimics the curvature of the river, which passes across the width of the pool deck. The river itself begins at the pool-house entrance in front and is met by a group of Arizona Jade boulders. The river continues for the entire width of the grounds, where it narrows at the fenced perimeter and ends.

Return to Top

Design

Artist team Sylvia Tidwell and Calvin Abe, in conjunction with consultants from Versar Inc., an architecture, engineering, and construction company, have created a design concept that brings the openness and freedom of water and sky to the new pool complex. The site consists of three main sections.

Entry

• The Aquatic Center entry starts with the river, a delta outflow of millions of marbles, stones and tiles that create a complex band of blues, reds, greens, and yellows. The river, approximately 190-feet-long, continues to the lobby doorway which is flanked by a group of Arizona Jade boulders.

Lobby

• Passing through the lobby doors, the river continues through the building, making its way to the pool area. The light blue gabled ceiling creates a sky-like atmosphere which houses a formation of eighteen cirrocumulus clouds. High perimeter lighting passes through the cloud formation, creating a glowing effect. Within the pool-house, the river also narrows and creates a definitive pathway.

Pool

• Beneath a large glass window, the river passes outside to the pool area where it is met by a series of s-curve benches, whose form resembles abstract bits of shell. The surface is also covered with abstract impressions of shell and other aquatic remnants. To the north is the therapy pool and water slide. To the south is the play pool, including a water jungle gym, and connects to a larger lap pool. Passing both pools, the river widens to display a full array of color and leads to the fenced in perimeter where it eventually narrows to a single band and disappears.

Return to Top

Construction & Materials Used

• Lithocrete®, a patented material to create the river design, was installed by T.B. Penick & Sons. The Lithocrete® was poured out in small sections, due to the quick 1-2hour drying time. After the cement is poured, the crew of ten hand-seeded about sixty materials.

• The Cloud formations are constructed by Jim Day. The fabrication process is a lengthy, time intensive one that produced 18 unique clouds. A mold is made of each cloud using wax and is made up of three layers of matte fiberglass which is saturated with polyester casting resin on both the interior and exterior surface. The clouds are eventually melted to remove the wax and solution and are thoroughly cleaned, a process which may be repeated several times. The completed cloud weighs from 10-15lbs and is hung from the ceiling by two 14gage stainless steel wires.

• Embedded within the Lithocrete® is a mixture of stone pieces, glass marbles and Mexican tile. The stones and tiles used range in color from cobalt and aqua, to sierra and ocher. Each piece was separated by color and hand seeded within the Lithocrete®. After the concrete has dried, an acid wash and sealer is applied to the entire surface.

• Arizona Jade boulders stand out front of the pool-house. The green toned rocks have been grounded within the earth and are cemented in place. The boulders provide both visual appeal, as well as serve as a sitting/resting area.

Facts

• Each of the 18 clouds within the pool house are unique in design.
• The lithocrete® river runs for about 190ft.
• The river design consists of 10 different color patterns composed by roughly 80 different materials imbedded in the concrete.

Q&A

Q: How long did the project take?

A: The project commenced with the approval of the 2000 Bond election and started construction in 2001 and completed in June of 2003.

Q: What is the significance of the title Floating World?

A: Floating World reflects on the purpose of the pool and its impact on those who have visited the site prior to the renovation. The pool was said to uplift and create a sense of buoyancy and lightness; a freedom felt from floating in the water and watching the sky.

Q: Why is there art installed at Eldorado Pool?

A: Built originally in 1967 and first renovated in 1985, Eldorado Pool was in need of a further renovation. Besides adding visual appeal, the public art installed at the new pool site provides a source of community pride and enhances the experience when visiting the Eldorado Aquatic Center . The art creates a sense of discovery and promotes social interaction for those in the community. Eldorado Aquatic Center also generates curiosity and a desire to return to the site again. Sylvia and Calvin's contribution, along with all the participating members, have not only given new life to the Eldorado Aquatic Center, but have communicated through their artwork, the purpose and meaning of the pool and its importance in the desert landscape.

Q: What is lithocrete®?

A: A patented process that allows the inclusion of imbedded materials such as glass, marbles, stones, tiles, or other similar material to achieve highly desirable and creative designs in landscape.

Q: What kind of maintenance does the lithocrete® require?

A: Lithocrete® will be hosed down with water with a force no greater than 3500psi.

Q: How are the clouds suspended?

A: Each cloud is suspended from the pool house ceiling by two 14 gage stainless steel wires. A lighting team has also designed the lighting scheme which illuminates each cloud, providing a glowing effect.

Return to Top

Return to Permanent Artwork