Much of the visual information that we encounter on a daily basis is often superfluous to our apprehension of the world. Yet, we often think of these visual aides as somehow helpful. We wonder if directing our attention to the things that appear obvious end up revealing new ideas or information.

The direction that a creek flows is apparent to anyone looking at it. Surprisingly though, small eddies and other surface disturbances create seemingly counterintuitive currents whereby the creek seems to be flowing upstream or perpendicular to the shoreline While wearing waders, we installed several hundred small, floating wooden arrows in the Cherry Creek identifying the direction of water flow. Simultaneously didactic and decorative, the arrows in the creek illustrate how the water flows around various obstructions like rocks and elevation changes, drawing attention to the creek and patterns of water flow.