A new face greeted Madison Square Park in Lower Manhattan on April 26 in the form of a 44-foot-tall sculpture. Jaume Plensa, an internationally renowned artist, created the white sculpture as a public monument. The artwork is made from fiberglass-reinforced plastic with gel-coated marble dust.
The official debut took place on May 5 and was presented by Madison Square Park Conservancy’s art program Mad. Sq. Art, through Aug. 14. The sculpture, which was installed in large pieces by cranes, depicts the face of the 9-year-old daughter of a restaurant owner near Plensa’s home in Barcelona, Spain.
The artist’s website states that the dream-like monolith “aims to introduce a quietness to the park, allowing viewers a moment of serenity and reflection in the heart of the city that never sleeps.”
At the official opening, Plensa elaborated on the deeper meanings behind the structure in an interview with The Epoch Times: “When you close your eyes, this kind of dream-state position obviously … looks like meditation. But it’s not the Eastern concept of meditation or religious concept of meditation.
“Mostly in my work, I’m using the body, but in a very closed position, [a] fetal position, always trying to emphasize this interior part of our body. If you close your eyes, immediately you are in, and that is the wisdom of that position.”
The sculpture was heavily influenced by the mythical Greek nymph Echo, for which it is named. According to Greek mythology, Echo distracted Zeus’s wife, Hera, with long and entertaining tales while Zeus cavorted with other sprites. When Hera found out, she punished Echo by taking away her voice, except for an ability to echo, or reflect, others’ words.
The official debut took place on May 5 and was presented by Madison Square Park Conservancy’s art program Mad. Sq. Art, through Aug. 14. The sculpture, which was installed in large pieces by cranes, depicts the face of the 9-year-old daughter of a restaurant owner near Plensa’s home in Barcelona, Spain.
The artist’s website states that the dream-like monolith “aims to introduce a quietness to the park, allowing viewers a moment of serenity and reflection in the heart of the city that never sleeps.”
At the official opening, Plensa elaborated on the deeper meanings behind the structure in an interview with The Epoch Times: “When you close your eyes, this kind of dream-state position obviously … looks like meditation. But it’s not the Eastern concept of meditation or religious concept of meditation.
“Mostly in my work, I’m using the body, but in a very closed position, [a] fetal position, always trying to emphasize this interior part of our body. If you close your eyes, immediately you are in, and that is the wisdom of that position.”
The sculpture was heavily influenced by the mythical Greek nymph Echo, for which it is named. According to Greek mythology, Echo distracted Zeus’s wife, Hera, with long and entertaining tales while Zeus cavorted with other sprites. When Hera found out, she punished Echo by taking away her voice, except for an ability to echo, or reflect, others’ words.
The tale lends insight into the meaning behind Plensa’s artisanship. “If in the myth of the nymph Echo, she was forced by the goddess to repeat the words uttered by others, in my project, the head becomes a mirror … where people can see themselves,” he said.
“With Echo, I aim to create a new intimate place in the heart of New York City, in where we can finally repeat the real words of our souls,” Plensa stated in a press release.
After the premier, the area known as the “Oval Lawn” was opened up for the public to lounge around on the soft grass surrounding the sculpture. “It is very enchanting, very compelling, and intoxicating. I liked the art here last year, but I like this piece even better. I feel a tremendous amount of humanity about it,” said Susan, a local New Yorker.
“It is subtle, it is interesting. … Her face changes as you walk around it. It’s two-dimensional and becomes three-dimensional. As the light changes, it changes. Even during the half-hour we’ve been here, it’s changed,” remarked a visitor from Texas.
“For everyone in New York who passes by our many treasures without looking up, I dare them not to take notice of this really extraordinary new contribution to our city’s landscape. Mr. Plensa, just know, you’re an honorary New Yorker whether you like it or not,” said Kate Levin, commissioner of New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
Born in 1955 and exhibiting since 1980, Plensa boasts an extensive art portfolio, including permanent installations in Japan, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Canada, and the United States.
“With Echo, I aim to create a new intimate place in the heart of New York City, in where we can finally repeat the real words of our souls,” Plensa stated in a press release.
After the premier, the area known as the “Oval Lawn” was opened up for the public to lounge around on the soft grass surrounding the sculpture. “It is very enchanting, very compelling, and intoxicating. I liked the art here last year, but I like this piece even better. I feel a tremendous amount of humanity about it,” said Susan, a local New Yorker.
“It is subtle, it is interesting. … Her face changes as you walk around it. It’s two-dimensional and becomes three-dimensional. As the light changes, it changes. Even during the half-hour we’ve been here, it’s changed,” remarked a visitor from Texas.
“For everyone in New York who passes by our many treasures without looking up, I dare them not to take notice of this really extraordinary new contribution to our city’s landscape. Mr. Plensa, just know, you’re an honorary New Yorker whether you like it or not,” said Kate Levin, commissioner of New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
Born in 1955 and exhibiting since 1980, Plensa boasts an extensive art portfolio, including permanent installations in Japan, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Canada, and the United States.
One of his most famous designs, the Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park, dramatically re-imagines the barrier between a conventional fountain and its observers. Plensa accomplishes this by incorporating a long, shallow reflecting pool between two 50-foot-tall, LED-illuminated glass towers that face each other.
The towers feature an ever-changing display of scenery and faces of Chicago residents, who sometimes appear to spurt water through puckered lips and at other times morph into a waterfall.
Jaume Plensa, one of the world’s most talented living artists, is redefining contemporary art. One of his main objectives is to instill peacefulness and tranquility in those fortunate enough to view his thought-provoking pieces.
