WHERE WATER MEETS ART
TURNING ARTISTIC VISION INTO FLUID DESIGN
We view water as a creative canvas, a medium for storytelling, emotion, and innovation. For over 50 years, we’ve collaborated with architects, designers, and artists to shape water features that enrich public spaces around the world. Our approach ensures every detail, from concept to commissioning, aligns with the vision and purpose of each project. Whether interactive, meditative, or theatrical, our features are grounded in technical excellence and brought to life through choreography, lighting, materials, and user experience.
When working with artists, we act as technical translators, transforming narrative into immersive experiences. From iconic installations like Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain to large-scale events such as Nuit Blanche, our collaborations continue to challenge, inspire, and push the boundaries of what is possible with water.
PROJECTS WITH ARTIST AROUND THE WORLD
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Through collaborations with renowned artists such as Jaume Plensa (Crown Fountain, World Voices), Marco Balich (Tree of Life), and Floria Sigismondi (Nuit Blanche), we’ve helped bring visionary concepts to life using the language of water
CROWN FOUNTAIN - MILLENNIUM PARK, CHICAGO
Crown Fountain – Millennium Park, Chicago
Artist: Jaume Plensa
A now-iconic public artwork, Crown Fountain features two glass towers that display digital portraits of Chicagoans. From their mouths, water spouts in sync with digital cues, a playful nod to classical fountains. We engineered the systems behind the magic: controlling water pressure, timing, drainage, and ensuring accessibility in a bustling urban plaza.
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EXPO 2015, MILANO - TREE OF LIFE
Expo Milano 2015 – The Tree of Life
Artist: Marco Balich
As the centrepiece of Expo Milano, this 37-meter structure featured illuminated water displays synchronized to music. We integrated the complex aquatic systems that powered its kinetic performances, supporting a vision that blended Italian history with futuristic technology.
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WORLD VOICES - BURJ KHALIFA, DUBAI
World Voices – Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Artist: Jaume Plensa
World Voices is an indoor kinetic sculpture featuring 196 cymbals suspended over a dark water pool, each one representing a country of the world. Droplets of water fall rhythmically, producing a subtle melody symbolizing unity. Our team provided the water systems and control logic that brought this symbolic piece to life.
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NUIT BLANCHE - TORONTO, CANADA
Nuit Blanche – Toronto, Ontario
Artists: Floria Sigismondi
At Nuit Blanche Crystal supported multiple installations during this all-night contemporary art event. With temporary, high-impact designs that required performance in a short timeframe and a public setting, we supplied and configured the water technology necessary for the artists’ expressions.
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WHAT TIES THESE COLLABORATIONS TOGETHER?
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Despite different geographies, styles, and cultural influences, a few core themes emerge across our artist collaborations:
FLUID STORYTELLING
Every artist had a narrative or message. At Crown Fountain, artist Jaume Plensa used the medium of water to tell a deeply human story projecting the faces of real Chicagoans onto towering glass structures that “speak” through water. We helped bring this to life by synchronizing digital video and hydraulic systems, allowing the narrative to unfold through both motion and interaction.
RESPECT FOR THE VISION
Marco Balich’s vision for the Tree of Life was grand, a sculptural beacon representing unity and renewal. Our role was to support that vision without overtaking it. We engineered a fluid system of jets, choreography, and lighting that brought energy and emotion to the structure while staying visually secondary. The water never competed it enhanced, reinforced, and respected the symbolic story Balich set out to tell.
TECHNICAL INGENUITY
To bring Jaume Plensa’s acoustic water sculpture to life, Crystal Fountains engineered a gravity-fed droplet system capable of delivering water from 60 feet above with exacting precision. To achieve the artist’s desired rhythm and sound quality, we used advanced digital modelling and built a full-scale digital mockup using our physics-based 3D water feature simulation, WATERlab™. These simulations helped refine droplet size, spacing, and impact cadence ensuring the mechanics remained invisible, while perfectly aligning with the subtle, symbolic intent of the piece.
HUMAN CONNECTION
For Toronto’s Nuit Blanche, we collaborated with Floria Sigismondi on temporary installations that used water to invite public interaction. These features weren’t just visual they were immersive, drawing people in to engage, reflect, and respond. The emotional connection, though fleeting, was palpable and powerful.
MORE THAN WATER
IT'S A MOVEMENT
As we continue to grow globally, we’re excited to work with artists and designers who see water not just as a design element but as a way to tell stories. These collaborations help us turn bold ideas into immersive, expressive features. We’re always exploring what’s possible when creativity and water design come together.
Inspired by what you’ve seen? Whether you’re designing a public space, planning an interactive feature, or looking for precise lighting and control, we’d love to help. Click below, share your project details, and someone from our team will be in touch to bring your vision to life.
