I love the intent of the scuplture!
R-Evolution is Deja Solis, a woman standing in her strength and power… expressing her humanity; how she feels when she is safe, when she can just be. R-Evolution is the third in a series of three monumental sculptures, The Bliss Project, by artist Marco Cochrane conceived of in collaboration with model Deja Solis, these sculptures are intended to demand a change in perspective… to be agents for social change.
Here are the artist’s words and inspiration:
What I see missing in the world is an appreciation and respect for feminine energy and power that results when women are free and safe. It seems obvious to me that feminine energy is being suppressed and this must change. If we are to find lasting solutions to the problems facing humanity, men and women must be able to work together as equals.”
—Marco Cochrane
Like all of Marco’s collaborators, Deja chose her personal expression, her pose, for R-Evolution. R-Evolution is different than the first two sculptures in the series, Bliss Dance and Truth is Beauty. There is no overt action in her expression; she is not dancing in the face of danger, she is not reaching to meet herself and find her own truth. In R-Evolution, Deja explores and expresses what she feels like when she is safe, strong and powerful when she can just be… a whole person… a woman, radiating her energy into the world.
R-Evolution is made of steel rod and tubing, utilizing two layers of geodesic triangles covered by a stainless steel mesh with LED lighting effects.
Marco’s Inspiration: [Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault]
"The story of R-Evolution and The Bliss Project began when I was 7-years old and my best friend was a 9-year old little girl. One day I was told, in way too much detail for a little boy, that she had been raped right outside of my house. It was incomprehensible, horrible, I never forgot, I never understood… it still haunts me. I thought… that man couldn’t have realized my friend was a person… if he really could see her, this wouldn’t have happened.
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I grew up in the Bay Area in the 60s and 70s, in the philosophical revolution and turbulence of those times. I learned to deeply appreciate feminine energy, influence, and strength… and realized that the objectification of women imprisoned women and also men. I saw first-hand that one person, or a small group of people, can start a movement that can make a difference and change the course of history.
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In my 20s I discovered sculpting, and in particular, the joy of seeing and sculpting the healing energy and power that I saw when women were not afraid…when they could be present, when they could be themselves, speak their minds… and the heroism it takes to do this in the face of real danger in their daily lives. For more than 25 years I have been sculpting women. At first glance, they appear to be classical figurative nudes, but they are not. They are radically modern… revolutionary. These women are safe, present. Look at them. They have chosen their own expression, so you will see the actual woman, the person, her energy, and spirit. It is my intent that these sculptures exude this healing energy and inspire us to take action; to finally say enough is enough!"
