Free Fall, at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, is designed to be visible from street level, the entry drive, and most important from the reception room inside the new building. During her personal experiences visiting her husband’s cancer treatment hospital, Zimmerman was struck both by the levels of anxiety and stress they typically engender as well as the absence of a quiet, calm place for visitors to sit. It was her intention to have this project provide the waiting room with the sense of “a place apart.”

The tall, solid blocks of natural cleft granite convey the rugged forms and power of the ancient sites that Zimmerman’s work often evokes. Situated in circular pools and connected by vertical water cascades and small horizontal pools, they offer a distinct waterscape experience. Parallel to the building’s edge, they echo both its geometric elements and the color of its materials. Although the siting of Free Fall does not allow for direct contact with the water, one can engage in the movement and changes of the waterfall by walking along the entry path or by gazing out of the glass wall that defines the length of the waiting room.

COMPLETED 2004
SITE DESCRIPTION
Granite pillars 8’h x 4w x 4d and four pools interconnected with water cascade on a steeply sloping site alongside hospital entrance.
PRIMARY MATERIALS
Granite and water.  Landscaping by others
COMMISSIONED BY
New Jersey Arts Commission
CONSULTANTS
Stone supply & fabrication: Cold Spring Granite Company
Fountain engineer: Dr. Gerald Palevsky