photo gallery / with poll: City Hall water sculpture formally unveiled

The artwork — is the centerpiece of a new plaza on Huron Street off Fifth Avenue, adjacent to the new police/courts building and the old city hall building. It works in conjunction with a new rain garden. The focal point is a standing bronze sculpture with blue glass pearls that light up in computerized variations as stormwater circulates over the sculpture's surface.

Some finish work remains to be done, including closing off the sides of the sculpture and installing a walkway in the adjacent plaza.

Though some controversy has surrounded the selection of a German artist to complete the project, the work is said to be locally inspired — planned by Quinn Evans Architects and InSite Design, both of Ann Arbor. Several Michigan-based contractors also worked on the project.

The bulk of the $750,000 cost of the project has paid for building and installing the sculpture, with just under $150,000 going to Dreiseitl.

Dreiseitl, founder of Atelier Dreiseitl, is described as an internationally renowned sculptor, artist and interdisciplinary planner with three decades of experience. His design firm’s practice specializes in integrating art, urban hydrology, environmental engineering and landscape architecture within urban contexts.