Liberty Park has unveiled a new interactive public art space, the Seven Canyons Refuge, which takes the place of the previously decommissioned Seven Canyons Fountain. This new feature is described by a city press release as a "dry, interactive art feature using light, sound, and sculptural elements to create a multisensory experience," according to ABC4. With its focus on accessibility, the space invites visitors to explore the interplay between art and nature.
The transformation, which Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall refers to as a gathering place, teaching space, and an area for residents to think about how water shapes lives, was initiated five years after an $850,000 capital improvement fund was allocated to repurpose the old fountain. The city revealed the project this Thursday, aiming at a conceptual representation of the Salt Lake Valley's water system, as reported by KSL.
The site features bronze perches crafted in a style reminiscent of a Japanese technique for repairing broken pottery, along with etched tiles that carry symbols of Indigenous culture. These elements are strategically placed where water once flowed, now encouraging a dry contemplation on water’s essential role in sustaining life. Despite the absence of water, the refuge, surrounded by trees, was soaked by rain during its celebratory inauguration, which included community members, city officials, art sponsors, and leaders from the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, reported The Salt Lake Tribune.
