Looking Up
Rachel Whiteread`s Water Tower began in 1994 with an invitation by New York`s Public Art Fund to visit New York City. After almost four years of planning, on June 7, 1998, the Water Tower was installed on a rooftop at West Broadway and Grand in the heart of SoHo. This book documents in words and pictures all stages of producing this complex, yet simple private sculpture in public space (Jerry Saltz, Village Voice art critic). We experience the early phase by taking a look into Whiteread`s private notebooks, we take part in tracing the site search through New York, we hear about the technical difficulties of producing a translucent glass-like resin tank, and we listen to numerous comments of art aficionados and passers-by from the street. Luc Sante tells us about the nature of water towers, Molly Nesbitt provides us with a social and art-historical perspective on the topic, Neville Wakefield reveals unknown facts on the nature of water and water towers, and Tom Eccles, director of the Public Art Fund, tells us the story of how Whiteread`s Water Tower came to life in detail. This comprehensive volume is a must for every contemporary art library.

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