The reflecting pools at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol will be redesigned and unveiled in the next two years. Before then, a Native Hawaiian artist invited the public to make their mark on the large-scale canvas.
The state has been dealing with its leaky reflecting pools for several years. The solution: drain the water.
The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts contracted Solomon Enos to design a mural that represents the ocean around the Capitol building. The $11 million large-scale art project involves fabricated glass that will cover more than 54,000 square feet of the pools – similar to the glass pool at the state art museum Capitol Modern.
"It's super robust," Enos said. "Not only can you walk on it, you can dance on it."
The reflecting pools are slated to be completed by 2026.
Enos has asked community members to leave their mark on the installation by painting tiny dots on the canvas. So far, more than 2,000 people — ranging in age from 2 months to 98 years old — have painted on the mural. The painting will be printed with enamel and fired into archival tempered glass.
Enos called the art project a community heirloom.
"It creates a sense of ownership. Folks will see themselves as a reflection in the work," he said. "They're going to feel that connection again. It becomes something that gets handed down from one generation to the next."
The canvas has various textures and swirls depicting ocean currents. It also has a contrast of red that captures the Earth's core.
Enos drew inspiration from Queen Liliʻuokalani's quilt at ʻIolani Palace, his trips across the Pacific, and the fire goddess Pele.
"It's a poetic representation of the ocean, which is probably a good segue into the idea that the design itself cannot be literal," he said.
The Hawaiʻi State Capitol building was built in 1965 and designed by Belt, Lemmon and Lo, and architect John Carl Warnecke.
Unlike other state capitol buildings, the Hawaiʻi Capitol building has an open courtyard and doesn't have a dome, according to Bill Chapman, dean of the University of Hawai'i School of Architecture.
The legislative chambers are cone-shaped, representing volcanoes that formed the islands. The columns surrounding the building resemble the royal palm trees and the eight main Hawaiian Islands.
Chapman said the building's architectural style combines international, brutalist and new formalism. Other U.S. capitol buildings are neoclassical with more emphasis on pillars.
During a public comment period regarding redesigning the reflecting pools, some people raised concerns about preserving the overall look intended by the architect.
"I think it's going to present its own maintenance problem over time," Chapman said of the glass panels. "Ceramic material, like any masonry material, absorbs heat. It will actually make the Capitol environment much warmer."
Chapman said the art installation may require maintenance over time, like Tadashi Sato's mosaic centerpiece in the Capitol's rotunda.
"I certainly don't want to, in any way, take away from the gifts of the artist who has been chosen to work on this, and I'm sure that his work is excellent," he said. "But I don't think it will fully address the spirit of the Capitol as it was originally intended."
But officials at the state Department of Accounting and General Services said the waterless feature is more practical and cost-efficient.
Comptroller Keith Regan said the department has been dealing with water leaking into offices, causing significant damages.
"Until the pools were closed and drained, we were probably spending somewhere to the tune of maybe $150,000 to $200,000 a year just to continually maintain, clean, and operate those pools."
He said many people have complained for years about a distinct odor from the pools since the department used brackish water. The pools held nearly 400,000 gallons of water, and the evaporation rate was around 25,000 gallons a day, according to Regan.
He said the fabricated glass would be easier to maintain and would be put on a cleaning schedule that involved sweeping and mopping.
"The glass is designed to allow the water to pass through and underneath," he said. "The way that the glass panels are designed permits water to travel through and therefore not pond directly on top of the glass panels themselves."
Regan said the art installation is designed to be removed if a new Legislature or community members decide that they want the water back in the reflecting pools.
Enos said the public can still place their marks on the canvas for the rest of this month. For more information, click here.
