Fire and Water, Public sculpture at Fire Department Engine Company 25 station in Milwaukee, United States
Fire and Water is a concrete wall sculpture at the Fire Department Engine Company 25 station that incorporates neon lighting and clear acrylic materials. The installation merges solid structural elements with red and blue fluorescent light filtered through the transparent panels.
The City of Milwaukee commissioned this sculpture in 1988 for the fire station's entrance, representing an investment in modern public art. Its installation marked a shift toward integrating contemporary design into functional municipal buildings.
The sculpture uses red neon to represent fire and blue light to symbolize water, directly reflecting what firefighters work with every day. These color choices make the meaning instantly clear to anyone passing by the station.
The sculpture sits outside on the station's facade and can be viewed freely at any time. The neon lights display their full effect after dark, making evening visits particularly rewarding for seeing the work as intended.
The work deliberately plays with the contrast between day and night, with the gray concrete appearing modest during daylight hours. When darkness falls, the neon and fluorescent lights transform it into a glowing focal point on the building's face.
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