Soul of Water

New giant sculpture silences ships in New York

An imposing statue of a woman’s head with his index finger pressing to her lips now looks out over lower Manhattan along the Hudson River, inviting the chaotic metropolis to stop and listen.

“When water moves, it makes a special, very special sound”, says the Barcelona artist Jaume Plensa.

The message of his 24-meter (80-foot) “Soul of Water”, Plensa’s greatest work to date, is “keep quiet … listen to the deep noise of the water that speaks to us.”

The White Head overlooks a panoramic view of the river in front of Newport’s high-rise buildings, which is located directly across from Greenwich Village and four miles from the Statue of Liberty

On a recent morning, when Plensa saw the fully assembled part for the first time, her call to silence was rivaled by the hum of diesel engines from the nearby Hoboken train terminal, the roar of helicopters, and the screams and laughter of children. who traveled in strollers. the river walkways.

But that’s not the kind of noise Plensa says his artwork is directed at.

“I mean the noise of the information and the messages they send us,” he said at the Galerie Lelong Co in New York, where an exhibition of new work will open on October 29.

Plensa, 66, was commissioned to create the piece about two years ago by LaFrak and Simon Property Group, who have developed the area that juts into the river where “Water’s Soul” is located.

The piece was manufactured with polyester resin, fiberglass and marble dust at Plensa’s studio in Barcelona and shipped in 23 containers to the site for assembly.

The sculpture, whose official unveiling is Thursday, is visible from everywhere, leaving some locals who have seen the piece assembled since August scratching their heads.

Plensa said that the sculpture is not sending a message to Manhattan, and that she is not “keeping quiet”, but is asking for silence in silence.

“The soul of the water” can be seen better from the river

“It’s a piece that pays a lot of homage to water, and it’s in the water that you can enjoy it the most,” he said.