Joseph O'Connell

And so the concept for this art is to give tribute to when a bird or a human is in a difficult spot and doesn't have a place to land and rest. They just have to fly days and days without rest. So the idea was this giant set of wings that has this sine wave that moves through it along two axes and the wings are continuously beating over the fountain, wings over water, if you will.

In an effort to be completely metaphorically true to Houston, it is moved by a large hydraulic motor that turns a crankshaft, and the wings are supported by, I think it's 32 pushrods that look like oil derricks rising and falling. So things were installed. It ran for the Super Bowl. People love it. It's the backdrop for countless social media photos.

In an effort to be completely metaphorically true to Houston, it is moved by a large hydraulic motor that turns a crankshaft, and the wings are supported by, I think it's 32 pushrods that look like oil derricks rising and falling. So things were installed. It ran for the Super Bowl. People love it. It's the backdrop for countless social media photos.

In an effort to be completely metaphorically true to Houston, it is moved by a large hydraulic motor that turns a crankshaft, and the wings are supported by, I think it's 32 pushrods that look like oil derricks rising and falling. So things were installed. It ran for the Super Bowl. People love it. It's the backdrop for countless social media photos.

And in the Super Bowl, between plays, there's some footage of it. Then three things happened. We had Hurricane Harvey, which hit Houston, but didn't damage the sculpture. It was a pretty mild impact on the actual downtown. We had planned for hurricanes.

And in the Super Bowl, between plays, there's some footage of it. Then three things happened. We had Hurricane Harvey, which hit Houston, but didn't damage the sculpture. It was a pretty mild impact on the actual downtown. We had planned for hurricanes.

And in the Super Bowl, between plays, there's some footage of it. Then three things happened. We had Hurricane Harvey, which hit Houston, but didn't damage the sculpture. It was a pretty mild impact on the actual downtown. We had planned for hurricanes.

It also went through COVID during a period of time when we know that the plaza was not policed and we'd heard that kids were kind of getting in the fountain and messing around. In any event, COVID's over, we're reopening to the public, and the sculpture's operating. What got us was we were not prepared for the big Texas freeze.

It also went through COVID during a period of time when we know that the plaza was not policed and we'd heard that kids were kind of getting in the fountain and messing around. In any event, COVID's over, we're reopening to the public, and the sculpture's operating. What got us was we were not prepared for the big Texas freeze.

It also went through COVID during a period of time when we know that the plaza was not policed and we'd heard that kids were kind of getting in the fountain and messing around. In any event, COVID's over, we're reopening to the public, and the sculpture's operating. What got us was we were not prepared for the big Texas freeze.

For one to two weeks, the temperature was around 10, 20 degrees, and pipes froze and broke all over Houston. So the main helix that drives Wings Over Water is itself a pipe. And as it dips in and out of the fountain, it accumulates water. And we had never anticipated—we had gotten environmental data, and we had anticipated an ice storm coating the sculpture, and we did the calculations for that.

For one to two weeks, the temperature was around 10, 20 degrees, and pipes froze and broke all over Houston. So the main helix that drives Wings Over Water is itself a pipe. And as it dips in and out of the fountain, it accumulates water. And we had never anticipated—we had gotten environmental data, and we had anticipated an ice storm coating the sculpture, and we did the calculations for that.

For one to two weeks, the temperature was around 10, 20 degrees, and pipes froze and broke all over Houston. So the main helix that drives Wings Over Water is itself a pipe. And as it dips in and out of the fountain, it accumulates water. And we had never anticipated—we had gotten environmental data, and we had anticipated an ice storm coating the sculpture, and we did the calculations for that.

But nothing in our assumptions led us to calculate two weeks of how much water expands when it gets down well below 20 degrees. Right. So it went through the ice storm and there was no visible damage. And then cracks started to develop in one part of the helix. So the first thing we do is we immobilize it. We replace that part with an identical part.

But nothing in our assumptions led us to calculate two weeks of how much water expands when it gets down well below 20 degrees. Right. So it went through the ice storm and there was no visible damage. And then cracks started to develop in one part of the helix. So the first thing we do is we immobilize it. We replace that part with an identical part.

But nothing in our assumptions led us to calculate two weeks of how much water expands when it gets down well below 20 degrees. Right. So it went through the ice storm and there was no visible damage. And then cracks started to develop in one part of the helix. So the first thing we do is we immobilize it. We replace that part with an identical part.

And then right next to it, additional cracks developed. So we stopped operating it again. And what they decided to do as of last November was to say, you know, I think we're just going to leave the sculpture off as a static sculpture. And that's the current position. And so we took that, well, it's theirs, you know. We took that judgment a little harshly.

And then right next to it, additional cracks developed. So we stopped operating it again. And what they decided to do as of last November was to say, you know, I think we're just going to leave the sculpture off as a static sculpture. And that's the current position. And so we took that, well, it's theirs, you know. We took that judgment a little harshly.

And then right next to it, additional cracks developed. So we stopped operating it again. And what they decided to do as of last November was to say, you know, I think we're just going to leave the sculpture off as a static sculpture. And that's the current position. And so we took that, well, it's theirs, you know. We took that judgment a little harshly.

It's the feeling you get when you've prepared for problems A, B, C, D, E, and F, and something like G or M comes out of the blue and smacks you. We had spent so much time worrying about what would happen if there was a hurricane? You know, what if somebody got hurt building it? Nobody ever got hurt building it, and the sculpture eventually made it through Hurricane Harvey.