Sculptural Forms

She Changes, by artist Janet Echelman ’87, is a giant multilayered mesh net suspended above a traffic circle next to a beachside promenade...

She Changes, by artist Janet Echelman ’87, is a giant multilayered mesh net suspended above a traffic circle next to a beachside promenade on the Atlantic Ocean in Porto, Portugal. The permanent public sculpture — which was still being installed at press time — spans 300 feet and stands 164 feet high. Steel poles, painted red and white to echo area lighthouses and smokestacks, support a 20-ton steel ring from which the three-tiered net is hung. The membranous sculpture appears to float at the whim of the winds, constantly assuming different forms and colors as the day unfolds. At night, the netting is illuminated. “Wind patterns are usually invisible to the human eye,” says Echelman. “My sculpture makes visible the choreography of the wind.” The materials used also reflect the site’s history as a fishing and industrial center. Echelman has seen her public scultures installed around the world, including recent works in Spain and the Netherlands, as well as at Harvard. She and her team of architects and engineers won the September 11th Memorial Competition for Hoboken, New Jersey — just across the river from where the World Trade Center towers stood. The memorial is designed as an island in the Hudson River with a hole cut through its center; groundbreaking is set for September 11, 2006. Echelman splits her time between New York City and Boston, where she lives with her husband, David Feldman, M.B.A. ’94, and their two children.

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts's Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

The Harvard Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

Harvard’s Endowment, Donations Rise—but the University Runs a Deficit

The annual financial report signals severe challenges to come.

Explore More From Current Issue

Illustration of tiny doctors working inside a large nose against a turquoise background.

A Flu Vaccine That Actually Works

Next-gen vaccines delivered directly to the site of infection are far more effective than existing shots.

Wolfram Schlenker wearing a suit sitting outdoors, smiling, with trees and a building in the background.

Harvard Economist Wolfram Schlenker Is Tackling Climate Change

How extreme heat affects our land—and our food supply 

A person walks across a street lined with historic buildings and a clock tower in the background.

Harvard In the News

A legal victory against Trump, hazing in the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, and kicking off a Crimson football season with style