San Francisco unveils massive new sculpture near Ferry Building

There's a new sculpture in San Francisco, and it's gigantic.

The city officially unveiled “R-Evolution,” a massive sculpture of a woman at Embarcadero Plaza, on Thursday near the Ferry Building. The sculpture stands 45 feet tall and weighs about 32,000 pounds.

San Francisco Recreation and Parks said this piece will stay in the city for at least six months. A representative for the art agency Building 180 said the sculpture could remain there for as long as a year.

The sculpture was made by Petaluma artist Marco Cochrane a decade ago on Treasure Island and is comprised of 55,000 welded connections. The sculpture first debuted at Burning Man in 2015.

R-Evolution doesn't just stand still; for an hour a day, her chest rises and falls, simulating breathing. At night, she will be illuminated.

At a press conference Thursday, Cochrane said that when he and collaborators first began making this sculpture, they said, "'Let's bring goddess energy into the world.'" Cocrane's website describes this piece as a symbol "of feminine strength and liberation."

Cochrane said it took about three-and-a-half days to install the sculpture in San Francisco.

This art installation is the latest of many efforts aimed at revitalizing downtown San Francisco following lulls that have lingered since the COVID-19 pandemic. It was unveiled Thursday in a free public celebration, filled with DJs, dancing, local artists, and hundreds of onlookers.

"We see this city coming back to life," said San Francisco resident Alina Radu, who attended Thursday's event.

"I am happy to come back to a place where people can come out and enjoy art, music, and connection," Radu continued.

"I think the whole concept is really good, to showcase the strength of the women," said Ruchil Shah, who lives nearby and walked over to join in on the celebration.

Other visitors described this art piece to NBC Bay Area as "powerful," "magnificent," and "inspiring."

Christopher Linnell, who said he is a longtime friend of Cochrane's, took the train and then the ferry to attend this unveiling.

"When we came out of the Ferry Building, got off this ferry, we walked through the center doors, directly into the clock tower, my breath caught in my throat, she was standing in between the buildings, it was beautiful," Linnell said, shedding a tear at the magnitude of it all. He said he has watched firsthand how much work Cochrane has put into this project over the years.

The Sijbrandij Foundation is sponsoring this art piece. A representative with the Foundation told NBC Bay Area that this piece is part of a larger initiative where they are aiming to install 100 pieces of "big art"- art larger than ten feet- around San Francisco.

"Music, people, art, that’s what cities are supposed to be about, and that’s what we need to bring back," said San Francisco resident Arkady Itkin, who attended Thursday's event.

An earlier press release from San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department noted, "At a time when San Francisco is working to bring energy back to its downtown core, R-Evolution stands as a symbol of resilience, empowerment, and the transformative power of art."  The city said that studies have shown that public art increases foot traffic and enhances economic activity.

San Francisco resident Meet Aghera, who lives nearby and attended Thursday's event, said of the city, "It's coming up, but it's not back yet, so we need more things like this."

Itkin agreed, saying, "any event that’s going to bring the optimism back, bring the good reputation, bring the injection of positive energy, give hope, give basis for people to come back and say ‘Maybe San Francisco is coming back,’ all the more power."

"Especially if it's free and anybody’s welcome, I’m all for it, the more the better -every week, every other day, whatever it takes," he continued.