Art

Davis Square goes underwater

by Devra First

SOMETHING FISHY - or just clever marketing?

Davis Square, 9 a.m. A pack of older men stand in front of the Diesel Café, on Elm Street, staring at the sidewalk. Wearing baseball caps and smoking cigarettes, they peer at the colorful shape at their feet. "What is it?" asks one guy.

"It's a fish," says another.

"It's nice," a third guy says.

"But what's it for?" the first guy wants to know.

Last week the streets and sidewalks of Davis Square suddenly, mysteriously turned up decorated with fish. This morning, the men are looking at just one example of many: a bright pink-and-blue image in tempera spray paint. Passers-by advance theories: it's a promo for Aquarium, Davis's newest nightspot. It's a student prank.

None of the above. The fish, it turns out, are the work of the Somerville Arts Council -- a herald of its month-long annual Windows Art Project, for which artists install their work in the windows of Davis Square businesses. Artist Yani Batteau and a team of several volunteers painted the fish; eventually there will be one in front of each installation. Why fish? Because the theme of this year's Windows Art Project is Somerville's Mystic River.

The Mystic is host to schools of fish and a wealth of troubles: it's polluted, its banks are littered. Local artists are joining forces with groups that are working to transform the neglected waterfront -- groups such as the Mystic River Watershed Association, the Somerville Conservation Committee, and the Mystic View Task Force. "We want to highlight the existence of this river," says Cecily Miller, the executive director of the Somerville Arts Council. People forget about the Mystic because it's cut off from Somerville by I-93, but, she says, "Somerville really is a part of its ecology." For instance, she points out, the runoff from lawn fertilizer used by Somerville residents can wind up in the river.

So how does river advocacy translate into art? One project participant, Kristen Kerns, has transferred photos onto river rocks that she's placed around Davis Square. Another, Susan Halter, has created clothing made from materials found in the river. (Don't wear that salted-cod shirt on any dates.) A car is being painted to look like a fish. There will be live fish in some of the installations. And, of course, there are Batteau's sidewalk fish, which, sadly, will eventually disappear in the rain. Too bad -- even if people don't know what they're for, they seem to be enjoying them.

The Windows Art Project is up all month; an opening reception will be held on July 11 at 6 p.m. in Davis Square. For more information, call (617) 625-6600, ext. 2985, or check out the Somerville Arts Council's Web site: www.somervilleartscouncil.org.