Share This Post

Large fire hydrant statues appear on campus

Three welded statue fire hydrants ranging from about five to seven feet tall appeared across campus late October.

Statue made of recycled materials that is a fire hydrant with fish coming out of it.
Dana Kuglim’s around five-foot statue depicts fish emerging from a fire hydrant like water would. No plaques surround this statue. Photo courtesy of Kyra Cortez

Outside of Meldrum Science Center and Jewett Center for the Performing Arts, the sculptures by Dana B. Kuglim stand on display apart from each other.

One statue depicts welded pieces in a fish form emerging from the hydrant, another has metal birds landing on top of the hydrant and another has recycled parts holding up a fire hydrant and other recycled materials in the shape of a cactus.

The statues belong to the “Wake the Great Salt Lake” initiative run by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, on display through November, is intended to “educate and inspire residents and visitors about preventing the decline of the Great Salt Lake,” according to Wake the Great Salt Lake’s site.  

The statues do not have any plaques nearby to communicate with passersby. 

“It was a little bit [surprising],” said Brooklyn Northcutt, a junior engineering major. “One day they just appeared.”

Violet Czech, a junior neuroscience major, passes by the statues every day due to her classes mostly occurring in Meldrum, she said.

“I don’t notice a ton about [the statues],” Czech said. “I haven’t taken time to actually think about them.”

Another student was also taken by surprise from the statues, but grew to enjoy their campus presence. 

One of Dana Kuglim’s statues, around 7 feet, resembles a cactus made entirely out of recycled materials. This statue has no plaques and is on display outside of Meldrum Science Center. Photo courtesy of Kyra Cortez

“At first I was a little bit confused, but once I started seeing them they [became] a lot more interesting,” said Maxwell Fouad, a senior environmental studies major. “I noticed that they’re a lot cooler than they seem.”

“[The] one with fish coming out of the fire hydrant [is] definitely my favorite one,” Fouad said. “The artist depicted it as fish exploding out of it the same way water would. It’s an interesting take on urban water-use and how fish are a part of that cycle.” 

“My advocacy for nature has grown from a love of it, to the importance of speaking for it,” according to Kuglim’s artist statement. “The work I produce now is a depiction of nature in one way or another adapting to the encroachment of man on the environment. Each piece of the De-hydration series is a deception of man’s (mis)management of the water flowing through society and nature’s adaptation to that.”

All of the statues were made using repurposed fire hydrants and recycled bronze and cast aluminum.

“I believe that my parents being depression babies, is the base for my usage of recycled man materials and my love of nature that has led me to this point in my career,” said Kuglim’s artist statement. 

The statues plan to be here for a month, leaving at the end of November.

Statue made of recycled materials that shows welded birds perched on top.
 A statue of two metal birds landing on top of a fire hydrant by Dana Kuglim is on display outside of Jewett Center for Performing Arts. Photo courtesy of Kyra Cortez 

Share This Post

Kyra Cortez is a junior who enjoys going to concerts and on walks and runs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>