Abundance tiled artwork near Deep Eddy Pool welcomes visitors
Finding a new piece of public art always brightens my day, and Austin adds more and more artworks to its public spaces all the time. This tiled arch gateway to newly renovated Eiler’s Park, next to Deep Eddy Pool, went up in 2020. Created by Ryah Christensen and Sun McColgin and titled Abundance, the tile mosaic “plays with the ideas of ‘eyeball moss,’ or ‘spirit lichen’,” according to Christensen’s webpage, “to create a sense that the sculpture is inhabited with the spirit of all those who have loved and played in this spot over time – and to celebrate the park’s vibrant, fun history.”
I had no idea what eyeball moss or spirit lichen might be, so I googled it and think it’s a reference to mossy, eyeball creatures in the cult classic film Labyrinth.
For sure the piece seems to be watching you.
Three irregularly shaped blocks covered in colorful tiled eyeballs are placed nearby. Again, the eyes are watching.
From the playground you get a glimpse of Deep Eddy Pool, where I spent many a summer day with my kids when they were little. It’s been ages since I’ve returned, and I felt nostalgic as I leaned on the fence, remembering days gone by. Like Barton Springs Pool, Deep Eddy’s chilly water (66 to 75 °F) is spring-fed and unchlorinated, and the majority of the large pool is wading depth, making it kid-friendly. It sits on the edge of Lady Bird Lake, and you can watch through the riverbank trees as paddleboarders and kayakers glide by.
Another, even larger tiled artwork adorns a wall inside Deep Eddy’s gates, and I hope to go back and see it sometime.
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Digging Deeper
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All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Another fantastic art piece. I love that Austin has so much public art. There are few pieces of such art in downtown LA.
I’m grateful that Austin has such a good program for setting aside money for public art.
We lived in Austin for three years in the 1960s, when the girls were little. We swam in Deep Eddy quite often. I need to go back and see the art and other changes to it. Thanks for posting this, Pam!
It’s fun – if also a little bittersweet – to go back and see the old places.
How cool! Thanks for sharing – I’ll have to check it out and bask in those Deep Eddy memories as well.
Happy basking. 😉
That is awesome tile art! Thanks for letting us in on secret art places like this/ mu husband is much more likely to accompany me on little jaunts when it’s not just plants.
Oh mine too, Linda. 😉
I love the tile art, but in our hot weather I dream of those pools. But who am I to complain? I live in Massachusetts.
Who doesn’t appreciate a nice, cool dip on a hot summer day, no matter where you live? 🙂