Y111 Katya Custom Waterfall Info

Combines the Y111 hydraulic core with a vertical green wall. Water cascades down the Katya weir, irrigates living plants via capillary mats, and recirculates. A zero-waste, biophilic statement.

Open-plan homes often struggle to define spaces without blocking light. A double-sided Y111 Katya Custom Waterfall acts as a transparent but audible boundary between the living room and dining area. Because the water falls inside a sealed acrylic panel, humidity is zero, and maintenance is minimal.

Review for: Y111 Katya Custom Waterfall

Pros:

Cons:

Verdict:
Perfect for collectors or statement decor lovers. Not for tight budgets or those wanting a plug-and-play item. Would recommend if you value artistry over convenience.

While the Y111 Katya Custom Waterfall is a stunning addition to any space, it requires regular maintenance to keep it looking its best. This includes cleaning the water feature to prevent algae buildup, checking the pump and water flow to ensure they are functioning correctly, and performing seasonal maintenance to protect the feature from weather damage.

Dmitri Volkov was never a conventional circuit designer. Trained as a hydroacoustician in St. Petersburg, he spent the 1990s designing underwater listening devices for military applications. After emigrating to Germany in 2004, he pivoted hard toward art — but his obsession with fluid dynamics, chaos theory, and stochastic resonance never faded.

By 2015, Volkov had built a modest reputation in the DIY modular scene for his “Liquid Logics” series — modules that used physical water columns as variable capacitors. The Y111 Katya Custom Waterfall, however, was different. It was a commission, not a commercial product. Y111 Katya Custom Waterfall

The commission came from Katya Sokolova, a Ukrainian-born sound artist living in Berlin. She wanted a module that could generate the exact acoustic and electrical signature of a specific waterfall: the Manavai Cascade in southern Ukraine’s Crimean Mountains, which she had recorded in 2013, months before the region became inaccessible due to geopolitical conflict.

Her request: “Build me a machine that sounds like that place. Not a recording. A living model.”

Volkov accepted.

Unlike any other Y111 device, this module was tailored to one person’s perceptual memory. Volkov spent three months with Katya, using blind A/B listening tests to adjust: Combines the Y111 hydraulic core with a vertical green wall

This level of personalization makes the module essentially un-recreatable. Volkov has stated he would never build another, because “the tuning is her nervous system, not mine.”

Commissioning your Y111 Katya involves five steps:

Custom waterfalls are designed to provide a unique aesthetic appeal to outdoor or indoor spaces, such as gardens, backyards, pools, or even large commercial areas. They can be tailored to fit various themes, sizes, and budgets, making them a versatile option for enhancing the visual and auditory ambiance of a space.