Diego Rivera
Mexican, 1886-1957
El Agua Origen de la Vida, 1951
Rubber on Polystyrene
Dimensions unknown
The Carcamo, Mexico City
Commissioned by the Carcamo Water Works
El Agua Origen de la Vida, or—Water: The Source of Life—consists of a series of expansive murals by Diego Rivera that strive to emphasize the importance of water in Mexican culture. Like his previous works, these murals unite the ideas of science and the working class social identity. Intended as a place of insight and contemplation. The series sits in an open pool and covers its walls and floor, and the tunnel where water, and people, can enter. The Lambdoma Chamber, pictured above, is a room surrounding the series that amplifies the sound of rushing water, engulfing the viewers in heightened acoustics as they contemplate the vivid images of Rivera’s work.
Calla Bodnar
An extended look at Diego Rivera’s El Agua Origen de la Vida