Jaume Plensa’s Waves III radiates outward in all directions in the form of brick paths. I find myself walking past it almost every day as the main campus sidewalks lead to, and diverge from, the sculpture. As a work of art, it is engaging and timelessly relevant. Letters from all different languages interconnect to form a single person. Waves III is an intricately complex yet holistically simple allusion to both diversity and unity. In this instance, letters do not compose meaning by creating words. Instead, they create a form, an exploration of humanity. Open-ended both figuratively and literally, the piece prompts conversation and explores individuality, language, and culture.
The work also exemplifies the dynamic relationship between dualities like inside and outside or public and private. Through its gaps and openings, the piece pulls the public space together without hiding or shielding anything. Similarly, while the form hugs its knees to its chest in a position of apparent solitude, it simultaneously pulls people to and from it, reflecting the intricate duality of being a single individual and having a larger cultural identity at the same time. In this way, the work highlights both inward reflection and outward connection. In an almost ironic way, Jaume Plensa’s cold steel statue successfully reveals the organic and beautiful complexities of human nature.
Over the summer I was surprised to find a similar sculpture while traveling through California. Upon further research I discovered that these pieces of apparent isolation can be found all over the world, from London to Hong Kong, Houston, and Singapore, just to name a few. In all of them, diverse letters and alphabets form a common human shape, making these works of art relevant in any setting. They simultaneously attest to what makes humanity unique and what makes it whole. Here at Davidson College, I don’t think it’s a mistake that Waves III is situated right outside of the main academic building on campus, serving as an everyday reminder to share individual truths while also appreciating knowledge and understanding from a wide array of backgrounds.