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''The River'', locally known as the Floozie in the Jacuzzi,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The River )〕 is an artwork in Victoria Square, Birmingham, England. An international design competition was held for a central water feature in the square, which was won by Dhruva Mistry. Construction commenced in 1992 and was completed in 1994, when the square was officially reopened by Diana, Princess of Wales. Mistry's fountain is the largest sculptural piece in the square. Mistry's winning design for Victoria Square consists of four sets of works (named ''The River'', ''Guardians'', ''Youth'' and ''Object ()''), representing youth and eternity. ''The River'' features a 1.75-tonne〔 bronze statue of a woman, tall, wide and long. The surrounding pool is paved with Wattscliff sandstone. Engraved in the rim of the upper pool by Bettina Furneé are the following words from the poem ''Burnt Norton'' by T. S. Eliot: (''Lotos'' is an alternative spelling of ''Lotus''.) The water in the pool flowed at a rate of 12,000 litres (3,000 gallons) per minute〔 into a lower pool, in which is another bronze sculpture, ''Youth''. This sculpture is tall and in diameter, depicting a boy and a girl facing each other at either end of a fountain. Beside them are an egg and a cone. The surrounding lower pool is also paved with Wattscliff sandstone, on the floor of which is a bas-relief of six large salmon. The combination of ''The River'' and ''Youth'' won a Fountain of the Year award in 1995.〔 A water leak from the fountain occurred in November 2008 and as a result it was only switched on for special occasions and maintenance.〔http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/16588/response/41958/attach/html/3/scs025d1.doc.html〕 After a £300,000 restoration in 2010 the fountain was turned back on. The work also involved the installation of a new multi-coloured lighting system.〔 After another leak occurred, the water was turned off in 2013 to save costs. on 6 July 2015, the main pool was filed with soil and bedding plants and no longer functioned as a fountain. On either side of the fountain are two large sculptures collectively known as ''Guardians''. The sculptures – made from the same Darley Dale stone as the Council House〔 – are high, wide and long. The sculptures are not identical and take features from a variety of animals. They have been derided in the past for having faces like characters in the children's television series ''Thomas and Friends''.〔Noszlopy & Beach (1998), p. 21.〕 On either side of these sculptures are two obelisk-shaped sculptures collectively known as ''Object (Variations)''. The sandstone sculptures are tall and . The two obelisks were initially refused by the city council, as they were deemed unnecessary; but Mistry – who declined to comment on their meaning〔 – urged the council to reconsider, and they were later approved. They now act as lampstands in the square.〔 == References == 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The River (artwork)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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