An artist is turning an under- appreciated Brooklyn icon into a statement about finding beauty in gritty urban environments.
Tom Fruin’s “Watertower” — a glittering 14-foot Plexiglas-and-steel sculpture shaped like the common rooftop utility fixtures — will light up the DUMBO skyline beside the Manhattan Bridge starting next week.
“I want this one to be a colorful kaleidoscope,” he said.
Fruin — who is best known for weaving discarded heroin bags into a quilt — will mount the vibrant installation on the roof of the building at 20 Jay St., a 12-story structure that houses his art studio.
The piece will light up at dusk for one year and was paid for, in part, through a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council.
Visitors aren’t allowed inside the structure — but there will be a stunning view of it from the Manhattan Bridge, Fruin said.
“There’s beauty in the unseen,” he said.
Reach reporter Natalie O'Neill at noneill@cnglocal.com or by calling her at (718) 260-4505.
