Rendering provided by City of Alexandria Office of the Arts
Groundswell
A new art installation called Groundswell, featuring more than 100 wood pilings in various heights, will adorn Waterfront Park in Old Town this month.
Groundswell will feature about 130 wood pilings in varying heights that will run along to the Potomac River’s contours. Each piling will have cobalt-colored mirrors that will shimmer and reflect like water. They will be etched with a growth ring pattern, recalling the passing of time, according to the Alexandria Office of the Arts.
The artist, Mark Reigelman, is the third artist in the Site See: New Views in Old Town public art series. Reigelman found inspiration for his art installation in Alexandria’s ever-evolving waterfront boundary, which has been underwater at various points in the past few centuries.
"Used as the foundation for early buildings such as Pioneer Mill and today throughout the marina, wood pilings have been a common feature along Alexandria’s waterfront. Groundswell seeks to recontextualize these quintessential maritime objects, pay homage to the space’s rich history, and bring an element of play to the shoreline’s material topography," according to the City of Alexandria's Arts division.
Reigelman studied sculpture and industrial design at the Cleveland Institute of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, and product design at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts in London. A number of his installations have been recognized by the Americans for the Arts as being among the most compelling public works in America.
Reaction to The 2020 art installation by Olalekan Jeyifous, Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies, was overwhelmingly positive. Jeyifous’s concept framed Alexandria’s African American history through the lens of the city’s industrial and merchant history from the 17th to 20th centuries.
It was so popular, in fact, that residents circulated a petition to keep it in Alexandria, and the artist agreed to loan it to Alexandria for long-term display. The art pieces were moved and are now installed in the park by Old Town Pool on Cameron Street.
