Silver Fine Arts and Art Installation Design · 2025
Fountain Of Life Large Scale Public Artwork
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 77,793
- Verification code 46A1B03963 · Verify this award
About Fountain Of Life Large Scale Public Artwork
Fountain of Life is a large scale public artwork installed in a restaurant at Istanbul Airport. The sculpture combines a hand carved travertine stone fountain with hand sculpted glass splashes. The stone fountain refers to the past, while the glass splashes, shaped to appear as if rising from the fountain, express the present moment. The stone fountain is 3000 mm high, and the glass forms range from 400 mm to 1000 mm in height. Polished stone and semi transparent glass change in appearance as light moves across the surfaces.
Derya Geylani Vuruşan's Fountain Of Life Large Scale Public Artwork represents a remarkable synthesis of classical fountain typology and contemporary sculptural innovation, engaging with millennia of water feature traditions while proposing radical material reinterpretation through the medium of blown and manipulated glass. The installation participates in the long history of fountain as cultural symbol, from ancient Roman nymphaea through Renaissance garden spectacles to Baroque theatrical water displays, yet transforms the essential element of actual flowing water into permanent crystalline form, thereby capturing and eternally suspending the ephemeral beauty of liquid motion. The technical achievement demonstrates extraordinary command of glass manipulation, with each radiating element exhibiting unique character while contributing to coherent compositional unity, suggesting either individual hand-crafting or sophisticated production methods that allow for controlled variation. The warm illumination strategy activates the translucent stone tiers from within, creating a lantern-like effect that transforms the structure into a light source itself, while simultaneously revealing the subtle veining and material depth of the carved basins. One observes thoughtful dialogue between the historical decorative vocabulary of the gadroons and moldings adorning the stone elements and the thoroughly contemporary aesthetic of the exploding glass forms, suggesting meditation on artistic continuity and innovation. The surrounding environment, with its sumptuous drapery and ornate metalwork screens, establishes a context of refined luxury appropriate to the installation's evident ambition and scale. The work invites contemplation of water's profound symbolic significance across human cultures, its associations with life, purification, abundance, and renewal, here rendered permanent yet paradoxically preserving the visual poetry of momentary transformation. What might it mean to capture forever that instant when still water becomes dynamic spray, when potential energy becomes kinetic expression?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This is a sculptural piece in Istanbul Airport Kaimakk Restaurant that combines traditional travertine stone with large-scale glass splashes, representing the concept of time. The stone fountain symbolizes the past, while the glass splashes, shaped to appear as if they’re emerging from the fountain, capture the present moment. This design is unique due to its integration of materials and its symbolic representation of time, blending technics with a narrative that reflects both history and the present in a dynamic form.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Material: Traditional travertine stone (fountain base) and hand-sculpted glass (splashes).
Dimensions:
Fountain: Height 3000mm, Width 1800mm, Depth 1800 mm
Glass splashes: Varying heights from 400 mm to 1000 mm
Production Method: Hand-carved travertine stone combined with hot glassblowing techniques.
Finish: Polished stone surface, semi-transparent glass finish.
Packaging: Custom-made wooden crate with protective padding for safe transport. - Tags
- glass, contemporary glass, glass art
- Production Technology
- The piece was created by combining traditional materials with modern glassblowing techniques. The fountain was sculpted from travertine stone, chosen for its historical significance and texture. The glass splashes were shaped using advanced hot glass sculpting techniques, requiring precise control of temperature and pressure to achieve the desired fluid, dynamic effect. The challenge was integrating these materials in a way that highlighted their contrasting properties while conveying the passage of time through form and texture.
- Design Challenge
- The hardest part of the installation was merging two contrasting materials—traditional travertine stone and dynamic glass—into a cohesive design. Overcoming technical obstacles, such as controlling the shape and flow of the glass while maintaining the integrity of the stone, was crucial. Additionally, the limited production possibilities for large-scale glass sculptures and the need for precision posed significant challenges in execution.
- Project Duration
- The project started in May 2023 and finished in August 2023. The project located in Istanbul Airport, departure departmant, Kaimakk Restaurant.
- Operation Flow
- The project is a static installation, allowing viewers to interact visually. The object doesn’t operate in a traditional sense but transforms through its aesthetic impact. The interaction occurs as light shifts across the glass splashes and stone, creating varying reflections. Key moments happen as viewers observe the contrast between the solid, timeless stone and the dynamic, fluid glass. The piece’s strength lies in its ability to evoke emotions and thoughts about time, inviting viewers to reflect on the past and present.
- Research
- The research behind The installation is conceptual and experimental, focusing on the symbolic representation of time through material choice and form. The objective was to explore how contrasting materials like travertine stone and glass can embody past and present. Insights showed that combining history with dynamic forms creates a powerful narrative. The research impacts design by blending heritage and innovation, influencing both art and architecture in the creation of immersive, meaningful spaces.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for the installation stems from my ongoing exploration of time in my Moment series. The project reflects the interplay between the past, present, and future. Traditional travertine stone, representing history, contrasts with the dynamic glass splashes, which symbolize the present moment frozen in time. Technically, the challenge of merging such contrasting materials to convey temporal concepts drove the design, aiming to create a timeless yet dynamic narrative.
- Image Credits
- Photo Credits: Sibel Ekenoglu