Through KJZZ's Q&AZ reporting project, a listener asked: "What’s the story behind those large metal horse statues near McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale?"
Five aluminum horse statues, each 14 feet tall, look as if they’re running straight for East Indian Bend Road. The public art installation is called "Water Mark."
Kati Ballares, Scottsdale's director of public art, said the larger-than-life pieces are actually gargoyles that facilitate the flow of floodwater from Scottsdale's greenbelt down Indian Bend Wash.
“The water actually flows through the sculptures and pours out of their mouths so that the artwork is completely transformed into this functioning fountain-like structure while it's raining," Ballares said.
That water travels down the wash, through a series of Scottsdale parks and into the Salt River.
“'Water Mark' is one of my favorite examples of how public art does more than just sit in a space and look beautiful," Ballares said. "It actually functions as a part of the flood infrastructure.”
The metal, cubist horses are also a nod to the city's past.
"There were many Arabian horse farms here, so that's what the horses are referencing, this deep equestrian history of the city of Scottsdale," Ballares said.
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