In a City of Water Towers...

...what would it take for one to snap you to attention? Last night, walking east on Water Street towards the Manhattan Bridge, a couple of empty rooftop billboards caught my eye (an explanation), and I stopped to photograph them. Between photos, I was taken aback when the roofscape began to morph. All of the sudden, the dark water tower framed by the billboards became the focal point, illuminated from within to reveal a patchwork of multicolored panels. The work of artist Tom Fruin, with an assist from Ryan Holsopple, the water tower sculpture is a precursor to the larger Water Tank Project, which should be gracing the skyline in a big way by this time next year. Fruin's water tank is composed of hundreds of sheets of plexiglass reclaimed from sites around the city. At night, the light installation by Holsopple fades in and out, filling the tank with light instead of water. Take a look...