Description

On the water’s edge of the bay of San Diego, located at one of the most beautiful yacht harbors in the city, Ocean Dances celebrates the history and current sports fishing of the area. The project is a large sculpted water fountain, and covered with over 400 square feet of oceanic colors in ceramic tile mosaic. The project was a candidate of the Port of San Diego’s percent for art component for the newly remodeled Sun Harbor Marina. The fountain’s abstract forms are in the shape of two waves rising up and above the water, and placed within a cast concrete pool. The forms were hand-carved out of EPS foam, imbedded with rebar, covered with a thick waterproofing membrane, and embellished with the mosaic designs. Water flows from the top of the wave forms, downward through pebbled troughs, and into the basin pool below. The transparent rock made of slag glass is lit at night from behind with fiber optics. The fish in the mosaic design are Albacore Tuna, which are the main catch for the private sports fishing fleet located adjacent to the Marina. The project for Sun Harbor Marina was the first LEED Certified marina in the world. 

For the project design and mosaics, in 2006 Kim Emerson received the award for Best Architectural Installation, in the Mosaic Arts International (MAI) exhibition that was sponsored by the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA), at the annual conference that year in Chicago.

A special THANK YOU goes to the following: the artist’s husband Dennis Reiter who is an amazing artist, business partner and photographer, and Woody Woodburn of ProFoam, Inc.