Skip to main content

Echo

May 29 2014–ongoing

Olympic Sculpture Park

Jaume Plensa is renowned for his monumental and psychologically engaging public art.

His sculpture Echo is named for the mountain nymph of Greek mythology who offended the goddess Hera—she kept her engaged in conversation and prevented her from spying on one of Zeus’ amours. To punish Echo, Hera deprived the nymph of speech, except for the ability to repeat the last words spoken by another.

Plensa created this monumental head of Echo with her eyes closed, seemingly listening or in a state of meditation. The work is situated on the shoreline of the park, where Echo looks out over Puget Sound in the direction of Mount Olympus.

Image: Echo, 2011, Jaume Plensa, Spanish, b. 1955, polyester resin, marble dust, steel framework, height 45 ft. 11 in., footprint at base 10 ft. 8 in. x 7 ft. 1 in., Seattle Art Museum, Barney A. Ebsworth Collection, 2013.22, Š Jaume Plensa, photo: Benjamin Benschneider.
custom-preview

What’s on at Olympic Sculpture Park