This project inversely traces the history of water in Los Angeles. In 1913, the Los Angeles department of Water and Power, headed by William Mulholland, completed construction on the Los Angeles Aqueduct which spanned over 300 miles to Owens Lake and ended at the St.Francis Dam. Mulholland’s reign ended in 1928 after the St.Francis Dam collapsed killing over 600 people. The Los Angeles Aqueduct ultimately depleted Owen’s Lake and nearly depleted Mono Lake shortly thereafter.
The Rhizomatic Memorial Fountain references this troubled history through a series of solar fountains which are activated by water siphoned from the “The William Mulholland Memorial Fountain”. The additional fountains offer an impressionistic map of key water sources which initially forged the city of Los Angeles.
