A new sight on the Jersey City waterfront -- the head of a woman, 72 feet tall, white, with a finger pressed to its lips.
It is the work of world-renowned sculptor Jaume Plensa, called Water’s Soul, and it sits at the edge of the Ellipse Pier, a LeFrak property.
LeFrak managing director Jeremy Farrell said this is typical of Plensa’s work.
“The sculpture faces the water, and water is an important medium for the artist, and by design his sculptures often face the water, and the water is a metaphor for all of us, for all humanity,” he said.
The aim was to make the plaza an area of quiet reflection, said Farrell.
“This particular piece is gesturing for silence and calling upon all of us to reflect and to think and to look inward,” he said, “and it’s so appropriate for this plaza where we are encouraging people to come and be thoughtful.”
Farrell said the sculpture has been big on social media.
“There’s conspiracy theories on social media as to what’s going on, there are people who are talking about what the sculpture might mean, there are people who are guessing as to who the artist is,” he said.
He said one conspiracy theory, early on, before people could tell what the structure was, was that a high rise was being built without notifying anyone.
Water’s Soul will be formally unveiled Oct. 21.