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Photographing the bitter cold

Published 4:00 pm Monday, January 15, 2024

By Matthew N. Wells

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World This isn’t a cave. This is a close-up view of the fountain in front of Aberdeen City Hall. The artistic piece is called “Heaven, Man and Earth,” and it’s by George Tsutakawa. The piece is dated 1997. However the icicles and what appears to be blue dye are new. They popped up sometime in the last couple days.
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Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World

This isn’t a cave. This is a close-up view of the fountain in front of Aberdeen City Hall. The artistic piece is called “Heaven, Man and Earth,” and it’s by George Tsutakawa. The piece is dated 1997. However the icicles and what appears to be blue dye are new. They popped up sometime in the last couple days.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World This isn’t a cave. This is a close-up view of the fountain in front of Aberdeen City Hall. The artistic piece is called “Heaven, Man and Earth,” and it’s by George Tsutakawa. The piece is dated 1997. However the icicles and what appears to be blue dye are new. They popped up sometime in the last couple days.
Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Keel Scott, who moved to Aberdeen about six months ago, said the “Heaven, Man and Earth” sculpture by George Tsutakawa, which sits outside Aberdeen City Hall, reminds him of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.” Scott took time out Monday morning to take photographs and film video of the sculpture. He enjoyed seeing the colors and the icicles throughout the sculpture.
The currently colorful fountain that sits outside of Aberdeen City Hall — “Heaven, man and Earth,” by George Tsutakawa, which has been there since 1997 — as seen from the east side of the fountain. The U.S. flag, Washington state flag and Aberdeen flag wave in the distance. The fountain is a popular attraction in Aberdeen and on Monday morning, its icy condition compelled pedestrians and drivers to stop and photograph and film it. (Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World)

It’s been a cold few days in Aberdeen, but at least it’s given residents some wintry art to look at downtown.

Keel Scott, who moved to Aberdeen about six months ago, took in the rare sight of what is currently an ice-covered fountain at Aberdeen City Hall.

Scott gave a couple brief thoughts about the fountain’s current state — mostly frozen and partially covered in what appears to be pink and blue food dye or food coloring. He said his thoughts on the fountain “sound dorky.”

“It reminds me of ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,’” Scott said.

Scott said the way the fountain — “Heaven, Man and Earth” by George Tsutakawa, in 1997 — and the icicles on every tier of the sculpture inside, it reminds him of a portal or a door you might find in the Zelda video game series.

While Scott wasn’t the only photographer documenting the vibrant, wintry spectacle, he was the only one who provided his thoughts with The Daily World. He also inspected the ice’s thickness, hitting it with his hand.

“It’s thin enough to crack,” Scott said.

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com.

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