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Vortex, Stream, and Confluence by Howard Ben Tré
Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.
Vortex, Stream, and Confluence
Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.

Vortex, Stream, and Confluence

Artist
Year2000
Classification architectural arts
Medium granite, meta-quartzite stone, and metal screen
Dimensionsa total of three equally spaced circular granite seating areas: 9 m (29.53 ft.) each
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location


  • "Vortex, Stream and Confluence," an artwork created by Howard Ben Tré, is inspired by the scarcity of water in this desert environment.  Located in the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas receives only a few precious inches of rainfall each year making it America's most arid large city.  This work focuses on the vital role that water has played in the formation and organization of societies.



    The piece is a metaphor for three forms of moving water:  the vortex, the stream, and their confluence.  The vortex is the form that water takes as it surges from the ground; the stream is the form water has as it travels from one place to another; and the confluence is the interaction of the two.



    Three circular seating areas represent vortices created by water springing from below the earth's surface.  These monumental benches are made from granite of contrasting colors.  Their finely hone black and white surfaces refer to the dichotomy between our public and private selves that intermingle in the civic  but often intensely personal  forum of the courtroom.  The pink stone, representing a stream, connects the three seating areas and marks their confluence with the rectangular plaza. More practically, "Vortex, Stream and Confluence" serves two uses  a restful gathering space for courthouse visitors and a dignified passageway to the courthouse steps.