Indian Bend Road Improvements Water Mark Laura Haddad & Tom Drugan		Print This Page Email This Page

Update

•  SPA Board approved the new project on October 12, 2004

•  Recommended Artist Approval: February 14, 2006

•  Preliminary Concept Presentation: October 2006

•  Public Update Presentation: May 31, 2007

•  SPA Board Update: September 12, 2007 and November 11, 2009

•  Installation: South Basin Earthworks Completed. Horse Gargoyle Sculptures on March 16-23

Water Mark
Project Description

Scottsdale’s Indian Bend Road Improvements include public art features that optimize the character of Indian Bend Wash. The Scottsdale Public Art Board approved the artist team of Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan (http://www.haddad-drugan.com/) in February 2006. The team’s landscape architecture background, environmental responsiveness, versatility and eloquence with a touch of whimsy best suited the project requirements.

The project is located on Indian Bend Road between Scottsdale and Hayden at a portion of the Indian Bend Wash where two branches of drainage meet and funnel. Site improvements facilitate the flow of floodwater from a golf course to the north down a concrete “drop structure,” under a new roadway bridge, and into a basin that controls the water’s progression into an existing natural mesquite grove and lake. Floodwaters continue through Scottsdale’s greenbelt of parks and ultimately reach the Salt River.

The artist team created a design that is integral to the structural work, gives distinctive forms to the engineering elements of the project, makes the site an enjoyable and attractive place during dry periods, but comes alive during dramatic flood events.  Conceptually, the art entwines natural phenomena and cultural narratives through interrelated focal points in the drop structure on the north side of the bridge, and basin on the south. Inspiration comes from the history of the McCormick Ranch area , storm waters and natural desert wash conditions of Indian Bend Wash.

A series of five “horse gargoyles,” constructed of sanded plate Aluminum, directed to the roadway, grace the drop structure atop 3 ft wide stepped charcoal-gray concrete plinths spaced 125-feet apart. The plinth faces are scored with 1” deep chamfered horizontal lines set apart at 2-foot intervals. These markings align with elements both on the bridge and on the features in the south basin to create relationship between all the art features. The equestrian forms reflect the history of the Arabian horses at McCormick Ranch and the aluminum material recalls the now instant history of cars stuck in floodwaters. Visible from the roadway, each horse gargoyle has a different pose, creating a simulation of running as one passes by. During floods, water, with pressure from the irrigation system, will flow out the mouths, while floodwaters flow over the drop structure around the plinths (note: the irrigation system uses reclaimed wastewater from the state-of-the-art facility at the Scottsdale Water Campus). At night, the sculptures are elegantly up-lit with blue lights on the east side and yellow lights on the west side that represent the water and sun.

Earthwork art characterizes the basin on the opposite side of the bridge. Six “stadia walls” and “flow berms” mark changing water heights. The stadia walls are charcoal-gray concrete, to match the horse gargoyle plinths. The stadia walls align with the columns of the bridge’s arches and help to direct the water south as it exits the underside of the bridge.  The stadia walls include sculptural square notches and protrusions that form various patterns as the water rises during flood events. Lines of red tile inset into the walls at one-foot vertical increments mark the basin water level.

The architectural stadia walls transition into the more naturalistic “flow berms,” constructed of mortared stone with linear planters of muhly grass bisecting them at the top. The berms increase in height and breadth as they move away from the stadia walls. The highest and widest points at the ends will appear as islands during extra high floods. Similarly, a triangular “delta planter” in the center of the basin becomes an island in even the smallest floods. It is planted with ironwood trees. The delta planter and flow berms both serve as “armor” protecting the desert plants during storm events.

The bridge facades, on both the north and south sides, pick up on the aesthetic of the stadia walls and gargoyle plinths. Dark charcoal concrete is patterned with wide bands of red tile, and columns are accented with a red tile design inspired by historic stadia markers used for surveying and measuring. The rich palette of color and pattern that characterizes the site is accented with the metallic horse gargoyles, soft plant materials, and vivid stone colors and textures.

Horse Gargoyle Fabricator
The five horse gargoyle sculptures were fabricated by Charles Wiemeyer Design Company. Charles has collaborated with Haddad|Drugan for over ten years. They have worked on several projects together, including Seattle's Fremont Peak Park, Millennium Plaza in Kent, WA, and Lineage in San Jose, CA.  He enjoys working with Laura and Tom because they always have diverse and challenging projects. "Every project is new territory." The Water Mark horse gargoyles have used over 50 sheets of aluminum. Over seven miles of welding stick have been used on each horse. Charles first did a full-scale mock up of the horse in wood, including movable legs so that Tom and Laura could decide on the exact placement for each position. Four different wood templates of the head were made, based on Haddad|Drugan's model. The project was a big challenge, but ultimately very satisfying, knowing Water Mark will be on view for the public to enjoy for many years to come. Charles can be reached at www.cwdcfabrication.com.

Project Model	Stadia Walls Under Construction Without Paint	Charcoal Grey Mineral Paint with Red Tile
Completed Earthwork Art in South Basin After January 2010 Storm	Quarter Size Horse Gargoyle Model	Horse Gargoyle Under Construction
Budding Artists Drawing Horses		Horses Loaded to Come to Arizona for March 16, 2010 Installation

Project Manager

Jana Weldon 

janaw@sccarts.org

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