Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net
River Soundings
River Soundings
Thomas Drugan,
Laura Haddad,
2025
* Dedicated to the memory of Michael Edward Haddad
and
Matthew Charles Houder
* big
tower,
ideas and symbols,
maritime tools,
boat parts,
compass,
map,
rope,
light sources
* Lights up at night. The artists' page for this piece includes a picture of it lit.
* inscription:
River Soundings rises as a beacon, plumbing the depths of the Delaware River.
This public art commission, shaped by history and phenomena of the river,
conjures an aesthetic resonance of place.
The art is inspired by what is considered one of the world's oldest
navigational instruments: a device called a lead line, used to measure
the depth of waterways. A lead line is a rope marked in 6-foot increments,
or fathoms. A tapered and faceted bar of lead, called a sounding weight,
is attached to its end. The lead line is cast and lowered into the water until
the sounding weight reaches the riverbed. The length of the immersed portion
of rope indicates the depth. As boats move upriver, this procedure is repeated
to ensure safe passage, in a method called "marking the river."
Vertical elements in the sculpture evoke boat masts and rigging. Each cable
symbolizes an individual lead line. Reflective "sounding weights" demarcate the depth
of the riverbed, as measured from the top of the sculpture, while the blue discs above
them express water. Together, the cables represent the actual depth of the Delaware River
adjacent to the site. The cables are arranged in a spiral pattern found in pinecones,
honoring the lumber industry that once thrived along this part of the river.
Surrounding the sculpture are smaller pipes alluding to the wooden structural piles
found at maritime piers. These "pile pipes are etched with imagery also related to
river navigation. On the three tallest pipes are representations of a traditional lead line
as well as lunar and tidal cycles affecting the river's changing depth. The tops of the
six shorter pipes illustrate: a map approximating high-tide depths of the Delaware River
referenced in the sculpture cables; a lens found in the Harbor Refuge Lighthouse at the
mouth of the river; a compass pointing to magnetic north; a ship's clock; a steering wheel
of the USS Cruiser Olympia; and a star knot with a visual motif of interlocking hands that
embodies maritime fiber and Philadelphia's civic notion of Brotherly Love.
River Soundings began as a public art project between the site developers and artists.
Along the way, we lost a brother, Michael Edward Haddad, and a son, Matthew Charles Houder.
The gift of their lives gave the art ne meaning and instilled deeper team bonds. River Soundings
is dedicated to the memory of Michael and Matthew and the inspiration they provided for the creation
of this work.
* Plaza.
Rivermark Northern Liberties.
Delaware River at Spring Garden, East of Columbus.
* 39.959800,-75.135500 [map] [nearby]
* On the Penn's Landing tour
* See also:
+artists' page for this piece
+phillyvoice.com article about this piece
+haddad-drugan.com
+courierpostonline.com obituary for Michael Edward Haddad
+mattschopfund.com
+legacy.com obituary for Matthew Charles Houder
+rivermarknorthernliberties.com
