A ‘visual prayer’ renewed

Yaacov Agam’s landmark fire-and-water fountain in Dizengoff Square, long neglected, is finally on its way to being restored – but not without a battle.

By SHIRA FRAGER
Agam's Dizengoff Sq. fountain (photo credit: Courtesy)
Agam's Dizengoff Sq. fountain
(photo credit: Courtesy)
After years of being a dysfunctional fountain amid a string of legal encounters, the state-of-the-art fire-and-water fountain at Dizengoff Square is on its way to becoming a beautiful monument once again.
The fountain, placed in the center of the square 25 years ago, combines fire, water and sound. Its condition has deteriorated over the last several years, and renowned artist Yaacov Agam, who designed and donated the fountain, requested that it be restored to its original beauty. The NIS 2 million budgeted for the project will finance the painting, the replacement of elements in the system – motors, pumps, lighting and power – and restoration of the structure to its original purpose. The project is scheduled to be completed in the next 12 months.
Back in the ’80s, following his completion of an elaborate monumental fountain in Paris, Agam was asked by former Tel Aviv mayor Shlomo Lahat to build a similar sculpture. Lahat thought Tel Aviv needed a hallmark that would accentuate its beauty, as Agam’s creation had the French capital. “[The Paris fountain] is a beautiful, marvelous monument. [I thought] Dizengoff Square should have such a monument,” said Lahat. He asked Agam to take charge of the design. “Yaacov Agam is a great sculptor,” he said. Although the municipality had initially agreed to place Agam’s artwork in a prominent area where it would be properly maintained, a string of legal battles broke out between the artist and the municipality when the latter allegedly failed to follow through on its promise to use the funds provided by Agam to maintain the sculpture. The municipality claims it agreed to begin the work immediately following the court order to fund the project; but, according to Agam, it did not respond. Only recently has the municipality come to an agreement to fix it up. “I think Yaacov Agam and the citizens of Tel Aviv deserve it,” said Lahat.
Following multiple confrontations by Agam, the municipality did agree to work on the sculpture – but not to the artist’s satisfaction. According to Agam, after numerous negotiations, “This time they put it very careful[ly], they did it very right... there was a lot of collaboration with the city, a public appeal between companies to choose the best [way to renovate the fountain].”
Agam’s call for proper maintenance of the sculpture doesn’t come without emotional and religious justification for its continued use. He designed the fire-and-water sculpture to show that two opposites can coexist, a concept present in his art. “According to Kabbala, time exists with fire and water,” he said. “I wanted to represent Jewish values in the city.’ The artist created the fountain in such a way that the elements within the sculpture must work together to allow proper functioning. This cohesive functioning, underscoring a deeper meaning – and the various colors visible in the water – creates a sense of unity and has attracted visitors from all over the world. “The idea is that when all the colors exist together, peace will arrive in the world,” said Agam.
[Lahat] wrote a letter to me [stating that] that nowhere in the history of Israel, of the world, had a work of art had so much impact.”
But as the state of the sculpture deteriorated over the years, the fountain soon stood as a useless piece of art in the center of Dizengoff Square, its beauty gone and its message lost. “They neglected it and it became ugly,” said Ruth M., a local who declined to give her last name. Ruth, a long-time resident of Tel Aviv, remembers when the fountain was first created. “Every hour, [the fountain] had water, music and fire,” she said. She expressed her appreciation of the many changes made to the area since she came to live in Tel Aviv, including building of the platform on which the fountain stands that allows pedestrians to cross over the square safely. “For children, it’s good. They don’t have to cross the roads,” she said. She is eager to see Agam’s fountain return to its original beauty.
Alex Abramovich, visiting from Talmei Elazar, a moshav in the north, agreed that the fountain’s renovation would improve the atmosphere of the square. “About seven years ago, I saw it in its operational state,” she recalled. “It was beautiful. This is a very central place.”
Included in Agam’s accomplishments are his building of a 100-meter-long metal installation resembling Jacob’s Ladder at the Jerusalem International Convention Center; his design of a private salon for former French president Georges Pompidou, and his creation of the rainbow-colored frontage of the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv. In addition, his paintings are displayed in museums around the world. “Every work of mine is a visual prayer,” said Agam.