Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain

Diana memorial designer named

After three years of debate, the design was presented as a huge oval moat.

The nomination process was also questioned. The designers were chosen by the culture minister, Tessa Jowell, who called her decision 'the judgment of Solomon'. She was forced to step in when a committee of leading arts figures disbanded in July 2002 with no decision made after two years of deliberation.

The committee had been unable to choose between designs by American landscape artist Kathryn Gustafson, known for her glasshouse at the National Botanical Gardens of Wales, and Anish Kapoor, the Turner prize winning British sculptor, who proposed a dome of water. The committee suggested the two designs should be exhibited for the public to decide. That did not happen.

July, 31 2002

The commission to design a memorial fountain to Diana, Princess of Wales, has been awarded to American landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson.

Gustafson's creation, based on a large oval stone ring, will be built next to the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London. 

Work on the final design will begin almost immediately, with the fountain expected to be in place by the sixth anniversary of Diana's death in August 2003.

Gustafson's design was chosen from 58 entries by the UK's Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell after the memorial committee that was supposed to make a decision became deadlocked.

The committee could not chose between Gustafson's work and the entry of Bombay-based designer and former Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor.

"I pay tribute to both the two leading designs. This was the judgment of Solomon," said Jowell, who made the final decision.

"But there had to be just one winner. And now that we have one, we can move on to build a worthy memorial to Diana's life."

Gustafson's £3 million design involves water pouring into the structure from the top of a hill at the Serpentine Bridge and running down in two directions.

Both end in a pool in a dished hollow. At night the shape, which can be planted with plants and trees, would be lit up.

The water will be shallow enough for children to paddle and play in and spectators would be able to touch the water.

Gustafson said: "The ability to affect those with whom one comes into contact, while being affected by those around one -- these were both attributes associated with Princess Diana.

"We have endeavoured to create a water feature that can be associated with these features."

Kapoor's rival design involved jets of coloured water on a square base to create the effect of a 15-feet high dome floating on the surface of the Serpentine.

A set of white marble steps on the shore -- 180ft wide at the bottom -- would provide a viewpoint.

Gustafson has offices in Seattle and London and has landscaped the Esso, L'Oreal and Shell corporate headquarters in France and the Royal National Botanic Garden of Wales.

The fountain, initially announced by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1999, will be paid for with public funds and by the sale of official commemorative coins.

In 2000, a seven-mile commemorative walkway through the capital's Royal Parks and a memorial playground in Kensington Gardens were dedicated to Diana.

The fountain will be added to the memorial walk, which highlights buildings and locations associated with her.

There is also a memorial to Diana at her family's Althorp estate, where she is buried.

It is hoped the memorial will be completed by August 2003, in time for the sixth anniversary of Diana's death in a car crash in Paris.

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain is a memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales. It was designed to express Diana's spirit and love of children.^[1] It is located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park in London, just south of the Serpentine Lake and east of the Serpentine Gallery.

Its cornerstone was laid in September 2003 and it was officially opened on 6 July 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. Also present were Diana's younger brother Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, her ex-husband Prince Charles, and her sons William and Harry.^[2]

Design

The Area of the Memorial Fountain

The fountain was designed by Kathryn Gustafson, an American landscape artist, and cost £3.6 million. Ms. Gustafson said she had wanted the fountain, which was built to the south of the Serpentine, to be accessible and to reflect Diana's "inclusive" personality. Ms. Gustafson told the BBC "Above all I hope that it provides a fitting memorial for the princess and does credit to the amazing person that she was."^[3]

Construction

The 545 individual pieces of Cornish granite were cut using sophisticated computer-guided cutting machines by S. McConnell & Sons in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland.
Although described as an oval stone fountain, it has the form of a large, oval stream bed about 50 by 80 m that surrounds, and is surrounded by, a lush grassy field. The granite streambed is from 3 to 6 m wide and quite shallow and is laid out on a gently sloping portion of the park, so that water pumped to the top of the oval flows down either side.
 One side of the stream bed descends fairly smoothly to the downhill end of the oval with gentle ripples.

        The other side consists of a variety of steps, rills, curves, and other shapes so that the water plays in interesting ways as it flows to the tranquil pool at the bottom.


The two sides were intended to show the two sides of Diana's life, both happy times and turmoil.

"Both sides finally flow into a tranquil, peaceful, calm pool."

Interactive features

Fountain reflects Diana's 'joy and grief'

Gustafson said: "The concept is based upon the qualities of the Princess that were the most loved and cherished. These were inclusiveness and accessibility.

"It is a large oval, the size of a football pitch, that is a novel use of water, that is brilliant in the sunlight, that cascades down, that you can touch and you can be interactive with and that you can become part of."

The designer said they wanted to create an environment in which people could remember Diana and "not an icon that they can only look at".

The design details were revealed on Friday, following an announcement in July that American landscape artist Gustafson has won the prestigious commission.

Work on the ring-shaped stone fountain, to be built to the south of the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park, is set to begin 2003 and is expected to be finished by summer 2004.

The Royal Parks will submit details to Westminster Council for planning permission for the 50x80 metre fountain next week.

Kathryn Gustafson's water feature is "highly accessible"

Water cascade

Water will enter the fountain at the highest point of the sloped design, tumbling downhill in two directions.

Down the east side, the water will flow down steps where water jets will make the stream bounce and jump.

The water will then enter an area carved so the water gently rolls along a subtle curve just before a dry crossing point for people to enter the centre of the fountain oval.

After the crossing, the water will pick up momentum before entering a sharp curve and ending up in a large, calm pool.

In contrast, the west side of the fountain sees the water gently bubbling along a narrow channel with subtle jets.

As it continues towards the pool at the end, the channel widens until a tumbling cascade of white water falls over a waterfall.

Both sides of the fountain spill into a reflective basin at the lowest point, where special texturing will make the surface of the water come alive.

"The design itself is supposed to mirror the different cycles of Diana's life. The choppy water is supposed to symbolize her marriage and also her public life and the turmoil she did have to go through in certain moments.

"It collects in a calm pool, which is supposed to represent the peace and the tranquility that she discovered at the end of her life.

"Also the fact that she loved children so much, it will become somewhat of a children's paddle pool at the bottom. It's anti-slip on the bottom, so children will actually be able to paddle in this pool," Hancocks said.