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Water Henge: H20 = Life consists of five free-standing sculptures that together tell the story of water in Cerritos and the Los Angeles Basin through text and imagery. The artwork is arranged in an inviting circular pattern that encourages visitors to gather and learn. The largest sculpture, approximately 13’ high and oriented true north, features a powder coated steel “sun” that casts a shadow onto the central sculpture during the spring and fall equinox. The sculptures are made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and coated with cement and ceramic tile mosaics.

Sculpture one (largest) represents the ocean and the prehistoric life forms found under water millions of years ago. A text tile reads “If you were standing here 40 million years ago, you would be under 5,000 feet of ocean.” Sculpture two (second largest) represents the period after the eastern mountain range pushed upward and the area became marshlands where dinosaurs once roamed. Sculpture three (third largest) represents a time when the mountains continued to push upward drying the landscape creating a flat field ideal for migrating animals. Sculpture four (fourth largest) represents the rain-shadow desert which had abundant plant life, including wild barley, oats and grapes as well as willow, oak and sycamore trees. Sculpture five (smallest) features the four cardinal directions and a mirror image of the “sun” atop sculpture one.

The artwork was dedicated on January 26, 2009. The City of Cerritos provided matching funds for the execution of this project. The County owns and maintains the artwork.

About the Artist: Kim Emerson describes the world as “a mosaic made up of various cultures, conditionings, environments, time and space each having their unique circumstance and yet bonded by the cement of life itself.” Emerson specializes in mosaic design and fabrication and in 2004 established Kim Emerson Mosaics, LLC. In 2005, she received recognition for her mosaic work at the Society of American Mosaic Artists annual conference. She was also awarded the Orchid Award presented for excellence in landscape design and public art for “Carley’s Magical Gardens” at the Children’s Hospital of San Diego. Emerson received her Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation of Architecture at the University of Oregon. She currently maintains a studio in San Diego, CA.

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