While sculptor Marco Cochrane is at work on his third monumental female figure for Burning Man 2015, one of his earlier works just landed a new, permanent home. The City of San Leandro announced yesterday that Cochrane's "Truth Is Beauty," the 55-foot second sculpture in the series depicting a nude woman with head thrown back and arms outstretched behind her, will be installed next summer adjacent to the San Leandro BART station.
First displayed at Burning Man 2011, the 13,000-pound sculpture depicts, according to Cochrane, a woman "expressing her power and energy." The sculpture, like the first in the series titled Bliss Dance (which was recently removed from its home on Treasure Island), also features interactive lighting effects from 2,500 multicolored LED bulbs, and was constructed out of 20,000 feet of steel rod and pipe, as well as 2,000 square feet of stainless steel mesh.
The developer Westlake Urban is helping bring the piece to the San Leandro Tech Campus, to a long vacant lot which sets next to the BART station. The city hopes that the sculpture will be symbolic of the changing face of the town into a place for innovation.
Cochrane, in a statement, says "I’m really glad the San Leandro Tech Campus is bringing Truth is Beauty, an icon for feminine energy, to San Leandro. This is a great opportunity to share her message in a community that is taking an active role in creating space where women are fully valued and appreciated."
The third sculpture in Cochrane's series, titled "R-Evolution," just completed crowd-funding and is now in progress.
Related: 40-Foot Burning Man Sculpture Getting Removed From Treasure Island