''Floralis Genérica'' is a

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

made of steel and aluminum located in Plaza de las Naciones Unidas,

Avenida Figueroa Alcorta Avenida Figueroa Alcorta is a major thoroughfare in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a length of over along the city's northside. History The rapid northward growth of the city of Buenos Aires during the late nineteenth century was facilitated by ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, a gift to the city by the

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

architect

Eduardo Catalano Eduardo Fernando Catalano (December 19, 1917 – January 28, 2010) was an Argentine architect. Life and career Born in Buenos Aires, Catalano went to the United States on a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Graduate ...

. Catalano once said that the flower "is a synthesis of all the flowers and, at the same time, a hope reborn every day at opening." It was created in 2002. The sculpture was designed to move, closing its petals in the evening and opening them in the morning. The sculpture is located in the center of a park of four acres of wooded boundaries, surrounded by paths that get closer and provide different perspectives of the monument, and placed above a reflecting pool, which apart from fulfilling its aesthetic function, protects it. It represents a large flower made of

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's r ...

with aluminum skeleton and reinforced concrete, which looks up at the sky, extending to its six petals. It weighs eighteen tons and is 23 meters high.

Opening and closing of the flower

One of the characteristics of the flower is an electrical system that automatically opens and closes the petals depending on the time of the day. At night the flower closes, emanating a red glow from inside, and reopens ("...is reborn...") the following morning. This mechanism also closes the flower if strong winds blow. It opens every morning at 8 and closes at sunset, on a schedule that changes according to the season. When its petals were inaugurated, they didn't close due to technical problems which were solved two months later. There are four special nights in which the petals are open: May 25, September 21, December 24 and December 31. According to Eduardo Catalano, the author, ''Floralis'' "means belonging to the flora and therefore the flowers", and ''Genérica'' "from the concept of "gender" and indicates that it represents all the flowers in the world". The electronics employed in opening and closing the flower were disabled in 2010 to prevent damaging the sculpture, and it remained permanently open until 2015. This was due to the fact that one of the petals was incorrectly installed during its assembly, as noted by Catalano himself. The company responsible for its construction, Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina, provided a 25-year warranty, but as the company was

nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...

in 2009 its repair was delayed. The mechanism was functional again by June 2015.

Measurements

* 23 meters high * Diameter: ** Petals closed: 26 meters **Petals open: 32 meters * Diameter of the reflecting pool: 44 metersCarlos M. Toto, Leticia Maronese y Carlos A. Estevez. ''Monumento y Obras de Arte en el espacio público de la ciudad de Buenos Aires'' (2007). Colección de cuadernos educativos del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Floralis Generica Outdoor sculptures in Argentina Buildings and structures in Buenos Aires Monuments and memorials in Argentina 2002 sculptures Steel sculptures in Argentina Aluminium sculptures Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires