Its name is Marina and it is the largest musical dancing fountain in Italy, commissioned by the Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea to welcome its visitors and the city. The fountain transforms the Trapezoidal Pier of the Palermo Port into a stage, thanks to its majestic choreographies of water and lights that move to the most beautiful internationally renowned songs from Adele's "Skyfall" to Måneskin's "Zitti e Buoni".
The water scenography summarizes all the expressive, technical and technological capabilities of the fountain, obtained from intense programming work by the technical programmers of Forme d'Acqua together with the light designer arch. Simona Marta Favrin – FavrinDesign.
The fountain has a total of 141 nozzles and 106 RGBW LED spots individually controlled via DMX technology. The design features three concentric rings with two side wings coming out of the larger outer ring. Along the main figure there are 64 nozzles powered by two controllable speed pumps, which allow the water jets to be brought to a height of 6m. A dynamic ring with a diameter of 6m makes the fountain unique: 6 sets generate jets and rotating parabolas with a height of up to 15m, given by the multidirectional dynamic nozzles. In the smaller ring there are 6 compressed air nozzles, with jets that can reach 20m pushed by two air-accumulation and pumping groups placed on the ground, composed of two screw compressors that generate a particular "shot effect", ideal for enhancing the salient passages of songs. A Water Screen nozzle is inserted in the centre, which traces the entire diameter of the fountain and can be integrated into multimedia video projection, video mapping or laser shows. Corresponding to the 64 nozzles, the same number of 80 micron nebulizing nozzles are inserted to create a blanket of scenic and cooling fog. A dynamic nozzle installed on the ground near the edge between the main square and the lake creates a common thread between water and land, between the fountain and the public.
All the technology is positioned and anchored on AISI316L stainless steel frames, resting on adjustable feet, for positioning on a PVC sheet.
To guarantee maximum sound impact, perfect synchrony between music and water games and 360° coverage of the sound diffusion, an audio system with 6 full range emission points was designed directly inside the lake near the fountain. A 400V electrical panel acts as a single control center and manages the correct functioning of all the equipment. The system is equipped with a controller, which integrates the 3D design and visualization process in real time. The selection of songs can also be managed from a smartphone, tablet or PC via MyFountain, the app created by Forme d'Acqua for the remote management of its fountains.
The fountain was commissioned by the company Cler – Cooperativa Lavoratori Elettrici Romani Società Cooperativa, and created in collaboration with the local partner Ennegi Service srl.
Marina takes its name from the little mermaid narrated by Gianni Rodari in his unforgettable fairy tale The Sirena of Palermo, which talks about love, inclusion and uniqueness. The little mermaid is found by a poor fisherman from Palermo who welcomes her into his family, and will soon discover her extraordinary gift for narrating events and stories of reality and fantasy "of all peoples and all times". Likewise, our Marina with its songs and its dancing jets enchants passers-by, visitors and workers of the Port of Palermo.
