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Absurd comparisons: sculpture vs. soccer

When we were working on the installation for the new InterContinental Hotel in Shanghai late last year, we always said it was about a football field long. When we talked about the piece in abstract terms, it never really sank in just how big the thing was. But when we imagined one element of the sculpture starting at the far end of our shop and heading out the door, across the parking lot, and almost to Mission Street, we decided that perhaps just saying it was 40 meters long didn't convey the sense of scale.

Stretching from the shop to Mission Street

This shows the installed sculpture extending from one lobby into the next.

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I once said that I wanted to "build sculptures big enough to talk to buildings." That's when we started relating it to the sports field. The final piece was 78.2 meters long in its finished twisting and curled layout. Unfurled it was closer to about 220 meters. So, once and for all, we figured we should put the sculpture on that field of play. Here it is:

Here is the Shanghai sculpture in plan view floating above a soccer field.