Kevin Berry

Tributary Wall

Kevin Berry was chosen to create this sound abatement wall after neighborhood residents near Scottsdale Fashion Square expressed their desire for a sound and privacy barrier when the mall was preparing to expand. This 10-foot-high wall is made of concrete and glass block, river rock, and steel. Inspired by its close proximity to the canal, it pays tribute to and celebrates the presence of water in our desert environment through a combination of repetitive patterning, symbolism, and materials.

The serpentine wall design, which symbolizes the flow of water, is composed of alternating smooth and split-faced rock arranged to represent a wave pattern. There are seven fish ranging in size from 9 to18 feet long, positioned one following the other, seeming to swim toward the canal in the same direction as the southbound traffic next to the wall. At the southern end of the wall, one of the largest fish is waiting to ambush the smaller fish unknowingly swimming toward it.

The fish do not depict any particular species, a result of fusing the characteristics of several different types of fish. Each fish is made of weathering steel with a perforated fish scale pattern cut into the steel plate. Clear glass blocks are positioned behind each fish, allowing natural sunlight to filter through the wall and giving the appearance of water passing through the fishes’ bodies.