She Changes
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Upon Echelman’s first site visit, the client instructed her that the commission must fulfill the following: 1) Create a sculptural symbol that unified the waterfront redevelopment of two cities at their border 2) Be visible from 1 km in all directions 3) Not block out the view of the Atlantic Ocean 4) Withstand high winds, sun, harsh salt air, and pollution 5) Require minimal maintenance This seemed, at first, to be an impossible task to the artist. She wanted the work to be accessible to a broad audience, while maintaining sophistication. Echelman turned to the multi-layered history of the site, which had a centuries-old fishing village that became an industrial zone in the last decades. The design she generated made reference to the surrounding smokestacks with their red and white-striped patterns, to the masts of Portuguese sea-going vessels, and to the area’s fishermen and their wives who helped sew their nets.
PROJECT LOCATION
PROJECT TEAM
Ministry of the Environment of Portugal