Take a good look at the 15-foot tall Ferrari-red Wind Waves, created by Mexican sculpter Yvonne Domenge, installed at Hermann Park as part of the 2014 Art in the Park campaign.
Also know as Olas de Viento in Spanish, Domenege’s brilliantly red Wind Waves rests on a grassy island situated on Hermann Park Drive between the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Sam Houston Monument and Hermann Park itself. The work is on loan to the park for one year, in honor of Hermann Park’s 100th anniversary as part of the accompanying yearlong Art in the Park celebration.
Like most of Domenge’s work, Wind Waves draws on forms and shapes found in the natural world which are then rendered larger than live. Made out of carbon steel and painted a vidid red, the large and perhaps deceptively simple structure offers a myriad of perspectives and views, filters and windows into the world beyond and around it. Although it looks somewhat light and open, Domenge told the Houston Chronicle that when assembled it weighs between four and five tons.
Domenge originally created the sculpture for display at the Vancouver Biennial in 2009 and has also crafted an all-white sibling sculpture (also named Wind Waves) that appeared at Chicago’s Millennium Park from 2011 until 2013.
Visiting Yvonne Domenge’s Wind Waves at Hermann Park
It’s easy to spy Wind Waves when driving down Herman Park Drive or even completing a full circle around the Sam Houston Monument on Hermann Loop Drive. It’s situated in the triangular-shaped grassy median separating the lanes of Hermann Park Drive, abutting the loop and sitting between the Houston Museum of Natural Science and Hermann Park itself. Pedestrians are able to view Wind Waves up close, but will need to cross Hermann Park Drive to do so. Drivers and pedestrians are generally both cautious in this area, but anyone with small children should be extra mindful of traffic on all three sides of the grassy area. Additionally, the public art installation is not a playground and is only meant to be viewed, not climbed upon or through.
About Yvonne Domenge
Born in Mexico City in 1946, Yvonne Domenge is one of the most well known sculptors in Mexico and has enjoyed a wealth of international acclaim. She studied plastic arts at the Outremont School in Montreal, Canada; at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington D.C.; and in Mexico City. Over the last 30 years, she has focused on creating structures and pieces using natural and geometric forms, of which Wind Waves is but one example. These works have appeared in more than 35 individual exhibitions across Mexico, France, the United States and Canada.
About Hermann Park’s Centennial Art Project Art in the Park
In celebration of the park’s 100th anniversary in 2014, Hermann Park Conservancy launched Art in the Park, a yearlong Centennial Art Project. Over the course of the year, the park will debut a series of unique, contemporary art installations installed and displayed throughout the 445-acre park. Each of the artists featured in this program have a distinctive style and together they will present a diverse mix of public art experiences for Hermann Park’s guests.
Stay tuned to 365 Things to Do in Houston as we cover each Art in the Park installation over the course of 2014.
Art in the Park: Yvonne Domenge’s Wind Waves
- Exhibition Period: Wind Waves was installed on January 21, 2014 and debuted at a reception alongside Patrick Dougherty’s stick work structure. The sculpture was on loan to the Hermann Park Conservancy for one year and was removed in early 2015.
- Location: On Herman Park Drive, between the Houston Museum of Natural Science and Hermann Park, Houston, TX 77030
- Parking: Free three-hour parking is available at many of the parking lots surrounding Herman Park.
