Suspended Animation
The water fountains surrounding the DWP, once a symbol of fertility in an otherwise barren desert, are now read as a barometer for the water crisis of recent years. The sights and sounds of gurgling water on this artificial plinth indicate prosperity; their absence means trouble. SUSPENDED ANIMATION plays a strong role in extending these indications to the public. The plinth’s water circulates above and below the plinth on a daily basis, through several internal capillaries and straight into the masses of the Research Center below. The Research Center itself is read as one large room with several porous and translucent landmarks. The research partners will determine for themselves where to set up offices, research labs, and sanctuaries. The expanding and contracting capillaries within these landmarks, buzzing an intrusive HVAC system, indicate a crisis to be solved. The tension between these two environments, the concern of the public and the responsibility of the private, is made explicit in suspended animation.
