Next Art Installation At Waterfront Park Prepares To Open

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A new art installation coming to Alexandria's Waterfront Park offers a glimpse at what the floor of the Potomac River looks like.

The "Groundswell" temporary art installation by Mark Reigelman is the third in the "Site See: New Views in Old Town" public art series at Waterfront Park. The art will open later in March and be on display through November 2021.

Reigelman's art focuses on Alexandria's waterfront as the shoreline withdrew further into the Potomac River. Through research, he found out thousands of wood pilings were driven deeper and deeper into the Potomac River over time starting in the 18th century. That action shifted Alexandria's waterfront over decades, allowing the city to grow into a bustling commercial port.

The "Groundswell" installation features a ground mural depicting the floor of the Potomac River and over 100 wood pilings ranging from 12 to 42 inches in height. The wood pilings are designed in accordance with the Potomac River's floor topography around Alexandria. Each wood piling will be topped with a cobalt blue mirrored surface that glistens in the light and growth rings to depict the passing of time.

The city will also commission regional artists to make site-specific performances or activations in response to "Groundswell" later this year.

The latest art installation follows Olalekan Jeyifous’s 2020 installation "Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies" and SOFTlab’s 2019 "Mirror Mirror" installation. Reigelman was selected to create original art for Alexandria by a community task force with approval from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts. Reigelman, a Brooklyn, New York resident, has displayed his art in public sites, galleries and museums across the world and most recently designed the Domino Park Playground at the waterfront site of a former sugar factory.

Visitors can see "Groundswell" at Waterfront Park (1 Prince Street) from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily starting in late March. The Alexandria Health Department urges residents to only visit parks and public places if they're not sick and maintain six feet of distance from other households. A face covering is advised outdoors when physical distancing cannot be maintained.