Where Is Echo? See It at Olympic Sculpture Park

Jaume Plensa sculpted this 46-foot-tall sculpture in 2011. It depicts the head of a nine-year-old girl from his Barcelona neighborhood, rendered in resin and steel coated with white marble dust. Despite looking like marble, the coating keeps the piece light enough for outdoor installation. The closed eyes and serene expression give the massive head a meditative quality that shifts with the light and weather.

Plensa first installed "Echo" at Madison Square Park in New York, where it drew crowds during its temporary run. Collector Barney A. Ebsworth later donated it to the Seattle Art Museum, and it was unveiled at the Olympic Sculpture Park in June 2014. The title references the Greek nymph Echo, cursed by Hera to repeat only others' words. Plensa is also known for the Crown Fountain in Chicago's Millennium Park, featuring 50-foot glass towers with video portraits of Chicago residents.

The sculpture depicts a nine-year-old girl from Plensa's Barcelona neighborhood. He often uses children and young people as subjects for his monumental heads, finding their features convey a universal quality that transcends individual identity.

No. Despite its white marble appearance, "Echo" is made of fiberglass resin and steel coated in marble dust. This makes the 46-foot sculpture much lighter than solid marble while achieving the same visual effect.

Echo references the Greek nymph punished by Hera for distracting her with conversation. Hera stripped Echo of speech, leaving her able only to repeat others' last words. The silent, closed-eyed sculpture evokes that sense of listening without speaking.

Originally installed at Madison Square Park in New York in 2011, the sculpture was later given to the Seattle Art Museum by collector Barney A. Ebsworth. It was unveiled at the Olympic Sculpture Park on June 29, 2014.

Echo

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