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Moon Pool by Bettina Furnée

Moon Pool by Bettina Furnée
With the development of Phase VI of the Social Studies department, a courtyard was developed in which staff and students might spend their free time. It was felt that the courtyard needed a focal point and, initially, a fountain was proposed. However, further discussions suggested that the staff whose rooms overlooked the courtyard might prefer a quieter, more contemplative feature and Bettina Furnee was approached to design a pool for this site. The sandstone rim is broad enough to seat people while a carved stone in the centre provides gentle movement of water, the ripples moving outwards to the edge of the pool. In keeping with the circular theme, Bettina proposed a carved poem by Fadwa Tuqan which evokes ideas about circles and water: 'Here the footprints stop/ Here the moon was in labour/ Give her then the glass rings/ And the blue bracelets' The forms of the letters themselves reflect the circular motif and the ripples across the pond.