Ancient History Comes to the Waterfront as the Port Installs the Public Artwork “Penelope”

Friday, 26 June 2009
Contact: Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6222

A new artwork depicting one of the most revered women in Greek mythology will be installed on the waterfront at the former Harbor Seafood Mart, just north of Seaport Village. “Penelope,” a six-foot tall woven bronze sculpture by Fallbrook artist Michael Stutz, will be installed on the public promenade, adjacent to the Port’s Embarcadero Planning Center at 585 Harbor Lane in San Diego (map). The installation will begin at approximately 7 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.

The six-foot tall sculpture depicts Penelope’s face and flowing hair. Stutz created the artwork using welded bronze strips, with a woven pattern that he associates with muscles and nerves and their potential for movement and feeling.

The woven pattern also recalls the story of Penelope. She was the wife of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, in the ancient epic Greek poem, “The Odyssey.” Odysseus is also referred to as Ulysses in Roman history. According to the story, while Odysseus was off fighting the 10-year Trojan War, Penelope remained at home, fighting off suitors. Everyone assumed her husband had been killed in the war.

One of the tricks that Penelope devised to keep the men away was to pretend to be weaving a burial shroud for Odysseus’s elderly father. She claimed that once she completed the shroud, she would choose a suitor. Every night she undid the weaving so that it would be impossible to finish.

“Penelope” will be bolted to a steel-reinforced concrete plinth with a cast wood-grain texture. The plinth features an inscription that explains the meaning of the sculpture. It reads: “Weaving by day, Penelope would be forced to choose a new husband when her tapestry was complete. But all the while she waited, unraveling her work by night, steadfastly sure of Ulysses’ return.”

Approved by the Port’s public art committee in May, 2007, “Penelope” was approved by the Board of Port Commissioners in January 2008. The overall cost of the artwork was approximately $69,000.

The Port has plans to develop a new park, Ruocco Park, at the site where “Penelope” will be installed. The anticipated construction date will be in late 2010. At that time, the artwork will be sited at another, to be determined location.

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