
Nadine Goff
'Máquina' at night
Today's image is titled "Máquina" at night and was photographed by Nadine Goff.
Shot from the Henry Mall on the west end of the UW campus, this photo shows a Máquina, a fountain located at the heart of Engineering Mall. Designed by William Conrad Severson and installed in 1994, the 18-foot tall stainless steel fountain is conceptualized at the intersection between art and the precise demands of engineering. As described by the College:
Centerpiece, icon, sculpture, interactive artwork, engineered aesthetic. Máquina ("machine," in Spanish), the fountain, is part of a dynamic system that uses water as a liquid, vapor and solid. Water flows down its base and cascades northward toward the end of Engineering Mall, where compressed air forces it into a 22-foot-high column. Then water gently spills over the sides of the column and into a reflecting pool at the base.
Students can manipulate some of the fountain's special properties, including lighting and compressed air effects throughout the system, through a small lab located beneath the mall. Passersby can get into the act as well. You can trigger a variety of fountain water sprays by waving a hand in front of the sensors on the stainless-steel columns that line the sidewalk in front of Máquina.
This is the latest entry of Madison Snaps: photos of Madison-area events and locations. The Isthmus group photo pool is the primary source for Madison Snaps, which are published here with the permission of individual contributors. If you are interested in having your photo eligible for Madison Snaps, please respond to the posting on the Flickr group page, or send a message. There is no compensation for Madison Snaps photos, which are © to the respective photographers.