
Crown Fountain
2004
Crown Fountain is a monumental interactive water feature featuring two 50-foot-tall glass block towers that display continuously changing video portraits of Chicago residents. Created by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa and completed in 2004, the work merges digital media with traditional fountain elements, projecting intimate close-up faces and expressions across its LED-illuminated facade. The base functions as a shallow reflecting pool where visitors wade and play, transforming the artwork into a communal gathering space that celebrates human identity and connection. Constructed from glass blocks and embedded with LED technology, the fountain cycles through thousands of digitized portraits, creating an ever-shifting display that captures the diversity of the city's population. This iconic public artwork has become a defining centerpiece of Millennium Park, exemplifying contemporary approaches to monumental sculpture that prioritize viewer participation and emotional engagement. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith — Library of Congress (public domain)
- Medium
- Glass, LED, water
- Spotted At
- Venue · Millennium Park
More by Jaume Plensa
Spotted works by Jaume Plensa
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