Art In Public Places Gallery
Talking Continents
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
300 A. Phillip Randolph Boulevard
Talking Continents (2003)
Jaume Plensa (Barcelona, Spain)
Sculpture: Fiberglass, steel, and LED lights
Six kneeling figures greet visitors as they gather for events. The figures symbolize the six inhabited continents of the world and silently communicate through the universal language of color. Lights inside the kneelers are programmed to change colors regularly, as if the figures are speaking to one another. By placing the figures atop 30’ high poles, the artist forces the viewer to gaze upward towards, what he called, “the beautiful Jacksonville sky.” The kneeling figures, in proximity to a nearby restored historic church, evoke a connection between the heavens and the earth.