From the Tampa Bay Times
The Massachusetts-based artist unveils her design during a speech in Tampa

By Waveney Ann Moore

TAMPA — Janet Echelman, the Tampa-born artist commissioned to create one of her famous billowing net sculptures for the St. Petersburg Pier, unveiled her design Wednesday at a regional conference held at Tampa’s Armature Works.

She calls her new creation “Bending Arc’’ and said the significance of the piece is that it is about inclusion, “embracing everyone to come to this place.”

Like the sculptures she has created in countries around the world, it’s colorful and airy. The work will be 76 feet at its highest point, 428 feet wide at its widest and will require 84 miles of twine and more than a million knots. Around it, there may be hammocks so people can experience the sculpture as it sways in the wind and light. It’s something she has requested from the city and the Pier’s landscape architect, Echelman said.

“It will be my largest permanent piece to date,’’ she told the large crowd gathered for an Urban Land Institute conference, at which she was a keynote speaker.

For Echelman, who has had installations around the world, from Australia to the Netherlands to the United Arab Emirates, and will have new pieces soon in South Korea, India, Hong Kong and Germany, having her work showcased locally is the fulfillment of a dream.

“There’s nothing better than coming home,” she said. “You can only imagine what it means to bring my artwork to share with Tampa Bay.”

She later added, “This is my chance to give back.”

Read the rest of the article here: https://www.tampabay.com/st-petersburg/artist-reveals-billowing-sculpture-for-st-pete-pier-20190130/