“Reflections” — Image Presentation by kenne
Reflections on a Water Fountain
by Jun Ji Zhang
What is the purpose of our water feature? There is so much pressure in today’s times to make sure that an object has a meaning, to make sure that it serves a purpose, it is a sad fact that one simply can’t enjoy something simply for the joy of enjoying it. But that is in itself a purpose I suppose. In today’s times, it is all the more important to be able to just stop and smell the roses so the saying goes. That is the purpose of our water feature. My original purpose for the garden spring was to make a nice simple place for one to sit and relax. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. The spring was not to dazzle someone with fluid mechanical phenomenon, that was the role of the monumental fountain, or to impress someone with clever timings of jets and sprays, that was the role of the indoor dynamics fountain, the spring was simply a nice quite place to rest and think.
What I had wanted to create was a place of escape. A place for someone to just get away from it all, be it stress from exams or homework, frustration over friendships or relationships, or simply just for somewhere to go. I wanted a place where I could go, sit down, and not have to worry about who one person is with or what I need to do to prepare for an exam the next day, I wanted a place where I could just sit and think about anything I want, whether it be about the things I don’t want to think about or just reflect on what is going on in my life. What I see is a nice waterfall, full of life and sound and chaos, and yet at the same time, quiet and serene. What I also see is a number of slow streams, along the lines of babbling brooks with a few bridges that ends in a few small ponds. The waterfall is more of a place to stand and think. The streams are instead, a place to walk along, to follow the water to wherever it may flow and provides an environment to walk and talk, even if you are simply taking the long way to classes or something.
That’s all I wanted, a simple quiet and relaxing place to walk along, to sit along, or to just look upon. Nothing fancy, nothing amazing, just peace and quiet. And in today times, a little peace can go a long ways.
