José Antonio Acebillo told me that the IMPU wanted to leave a commemorative reminder in the areas renovated for the Olympic Games, through the design of a drinking fountain.

At first, I expressed my opinion that standardised repetition and monument – even though small – were irreconcilable. I insisted that we should design eight fountains that, while recognised as part of a family, were different and thought out for each specific location.

I wanted to individualise each piece with a figurative element that would personalise it, make it memorable, give it a title, and over time, a nickname. I entrusted the responsibility of this task to my friend and occasional collaborator, the sculptor Juan Bordes.

The tradition of small fountains in the streets of Barcelona, in the triangular squares created by the intersection of the Diagonal with the rectangular grid of the Eixample, with sculptures of children, seemed worth prolonging. I was particularly drawn to those created by Josep Campeny in 1912, where the water outlet is integrated into the sculptural group, as in the magnificent one at Diagonal - Córcega, where water flows from the mouth of a frog held by a young boy.

With Juan, we imagined a family of fountains with teenagers playing in the water in such ways that could be linked to sport. One girl would splash around in the water, another would dive in and a third, nearly submerged, would lift her head and spit the water out of her mouth; a boy would throw stones from the shore, others would barely dare to touch the water or start to paddle with his hand... We were attracted to the unusual image of some sculptures that were truly submerged. Each pedestal would be different, depending on the act of the sculpture and the location it was intended for.