Through October 13th, the latest work from internationally renowned Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, The New York City Waterfalls, is installed in four locations in New York Harbor. These breathtaking, man-made Waterfalls, each measuring 90–120 feet high (approx. 27–37 meters), were conceived artist Eliasson, and they operate from 7am to 10pm (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-10pm), seven days a week, and are lit after sunset.

The New York City Waterfalls, situated in the New York Harbor, near some of the most historic structures in the city -- the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and Governors Island -- is the city’s most ambitious work of public art to date, and the development of the project took almost 200 engineers, designers, project managers, consultants, permit specialists, electricians, construction workers, and many others over two years to finish, and the resulting monumental public sculpture was certainly well worth it. This ambitious endeavor was commissioned by the Public Art Fund and presented in collaboration with the City of New York.

The artist, Olafur Eliasson, was born in Copenhagen in 1967, and grew up in both Iceland and Denmark. He attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and currently divides his time between Copenhagen and Berlin. Berlin-based Studio Olafur Eliasson is a laboratory for spatial research that employs a team of 30 architects, engineers, craftsmen, and assistants who work together to conceptualize, test, engineer, and construct installations, sculptures, large-scale projects, and commissions. During the spring of 2008, the Museum of Modern Art and PS 1 Contemporary Art Center in New York presented a major mid-career retrospective of Eliasson’s work, which originated at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in September 2007. His work is inspired by nature and the preservation of our planet’s ecology, and in keeping with the theme of nature preservation, the Waterfalls were designed to protect aquatic life with special intake filter pools, and the energy used for their operation is offset by renewable energy.

These massive water-and-steel sculptures are located under the Brooklyn Bridge, at the Anchorage; along the Brooklyn waterfront at Piers 4 and 5; on the north shore of Governors Island; and at Pier 35 (at Rutgers Street) in Lower Manhattan. Although they can be seen from the points along the East River (both in Manhattan and Brooklyn), the South Street Seaport, and from Battery Park, the best way to view them is by boat, and Circle Line Downtown is the only tour company providing the official Water Tours of the New York City Waterfalls, with four different in-depth ways to take in these breathtaking works of art: the 30-minute OFFICIAL Water Tour; the SHARK Speedboat Thrill Ride; the one-hour ZEPHYR Seaport Liberty Cruise; and private charters aboard the one-of-a-kind yacht, ZEPHYR. Eliasson also provides an audio introduction and special insights into his work during the excursions.

The one-hour ZEPHYR tour features multiple climate-controlled decks and elegant amenities -- indoor and outdoor sun decks, plush seating, two mahogany snack and beverage bars -- all to be enjoyed while gliding past such legendary landmarks as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, and, of course, the Waterfalls. The SHARK is a heart-pounding, 30-minute speedboat ride that includes a tour, music, and plenty of laughs for up to 140 passengers and takes you within a few feet of the Elliason’s creation. ZEPHYR can also be rented out for private, once-in-lifetime viewings of the Waterfalls.

Circle Line Downtown cruises depart from Pier 16 at South Street Seaport. Tickets are available at Pier 16, by calling 866-9CLINE1, or online at circlelinedowntown.com. The SHARK departs at the top of every hour between noon and 7pm; 30-minute tours depart frequently between 9am and 8:30pm; one-hour tours depart every 90 minutes between noon and 6pm (7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays). For more information on the New York City Waterfalls, visit www.nycwaterfalls.com.