When walking down Lincoln Road this winter, you’ll see the usual splashing fountains, a variety of shops, delicious restaurants and something quite unexpected: a 45-foot-tall glowing sculpture of a woman by artist Marco Cochrane.
The larger-than-life structure, named “R-Evolution,” is headed to the sunny shopping district in time for Miami Art Week, and will glow in the sun and illuminate in the night thanks to LED lights.
Debuting at Burning Man several years ago, this is the first time the monumental sculpture is being showcased on the East Coast. It features 16 motors in its chest to simulate breathing and demonstrate how its energy radiates into the world by involuntary forces, thus symbolizing feminine strength and liberation.
“R-Evolution” is the work of Cochrane, whose work has been featured at the Smithsonian Art Museum and the $4.3 billion Resorts World in Las Vegas. He built the structure by hand using a Pantograph – a medieval-era enlargement tool – and classical sculpting techniques starting with a life-size original, enlarged first to 15 foot clay version, and then to her final metal form.
The completed 45-foot piece is made of steel rod and tubing, utilizing two layers of geodesic triangles (necessitating 55,000 welds) covered by a stainless steel mesh. It’s a remarkable piece you won’t be able to look away from!
This is the third and final sculpture in Cochrane’s “The Bliss Project” series, designed to “catalyze social change by challenging bystanders to see past the sexual charge surrounding the female body.” The artist worked with artist Deja Solis as a model and collaborator, as well as hundreds of volunteers to take part in the creation.
“R-Evolution” will be on display on the 400 Block of Lincoln Road starting November 14, through April 2024.