JERSEY CITY, NJ — If you've marveled at the 80-foot "Water's Soul" sculpture of a woman's head on the Jersey City waterfront, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
That sculpture will be joined by a seven-ton, 60-foot whale on the waterfront in fall.
The steel whale was commissioned and funded by the LeFrak development company, one of the early modern residential builders on Jersey City's waterfront. The company built Newport Towers and the Newport Centre Mall in the neighborhood along the border with Hoboken.
As part of Newport's upcoming 40th anniversary celebration, the firm will install the whale near the water some time in fall.
LeFrak will unveil "The Mother of All Echoes," created by celebrated artist Mathias Gmachl. It will be placed in Marina Park at Newport.
The whale will be 60 feet long and 30 feet, or three stories, tall.
"The painted steel sculpture will appear to lift from the park in a dramatic cantilevered pose, while an integrated lighting scheme will animate its interior with shifting waves of color at night," said a spokesperson.
The work is part of Gmachl’s ongoing Echoes series, which explores ecology and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
The artwork was designed in 3D and transferred onto welded steel using mixed-reality holograms to guide the hand-painting process.
Once installed, the sculpture will join Jaume Plensa’s 80-foot-tall Water’s Soul as part of Newport’s growing waterfront public art landscape, the organization said, reflecting LeFrak’s continued commitment to the community they created in the 1980s.
Other events will be planned to celebrate the anniversary as well. Watch Jersey City Patch for more news, and input your email address here to subscribe for free updates like this one.
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