Watershed is a permanent, site-specific work designed to interact with deCordova’s unique natural environment. It makes deCordova the only institution in New England with a publicly accessible installation by internationally renowned sculptor Andy Goldsworthy.
Throughout his career, Goldsworthy has explored the power of water. Its force, energy, and impact respond to the rhythm of weather, and have strong and powerful consequences for the landscape. Watershed is composed of a nine-by-fifteen-foot granite stone structure, partially-embedded in the slope of deCordova’s pond-side hill. The work is built in a vernacular style, echoing stone walls and structures found throughout New England, using local materials and the expert assistance of Goldsworthy's team of British wallers. On the structure’s interior rear wall, stonework radiates in concentric circles from a drain outlet centered in the wall—a powerful evocation of water’s energy and pattern.
In times of heavy rain, water that flows across deCordova’s paved upper lot is collected and channeled underground to pour from the outlet in the work's rear wall, giving form to the usually unremarked course of groundwater across hard surfaces and allowing people to see and hear the work come to life. In dry weather the wall stands expectantly, waiting to be activated. The work serves to illustrate both the impermanence and the lasting effects of water, through the growth of residues like mineral deposits, moss, and patina.
As a permanent commission by an internationally acclaimed artist, Watershed underscores deCordova's role as a leading U.S. sculpture park, deepening the discourse on contemporary sculpture in our community and beyond for generations to come.