R-Evolution (former temporary installation)

San Francisco, California, United States

Landmarks and monuments

Historical – no longer at this location

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded for its history. It is no longer at this location, so it is not a stop to plan a trip around.

R-Evolution, a 45-foot steel-mesh sculpture of a nude woman by Marco Cochrane, stood at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco from April 2025 until it was dismantled in mid-October 2026. It was a temporary installation first shown at Burning Man in 2015.

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PLANNING A VISIT?

Not a stop to travel to

This Big Thing is recorded for its history. It is no longer at this location, so it is not a stop to plan a trip around.

R-Evolution (former temporary installation)

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 37.7947° N, 122.3944° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

For 18 months a 45-foot steel-mesh nude woman stood at the foot of Market Street, and in mid-October 2026 she was taken down.

R-Evolution, by Petaluma artist Marco Cochrane, was unveiled at Embarcadero Plaza on 10 April 2025. KQED says it was built on Treasure Island and debuted at Burning Man in 2015; Cochrane's website calls it the third work in his Bliss Project series. It was meant for a temporary installation at Union Square, but KQED reports that engineers judged it too heavy for the plaza tiles and the garage below, and the San Francisco Arts Commission approved the Embarcadero site in an 11-to-1 vote. According to the SF Standard, 16 motors inside moved its chest throughout the day to mimic breathing.

Sizes vary. Press reports said 45 feet; Cochrane's site and KQED later say 48. KQED gave its weight as 32,000 pounds, while Cochrane's specifications list about 13,000 pounds for the sculpture and base plus 16,000 pounds of steel anchoring plates.

It was approved for six months to a year and extended twice. Supporters and critics were divided; the SF Standard reported that critics objected that it was installed without public review.

The SF Chronicle reported that the sculpture was dismantled in mid-October 2026 and that it went to his Petaluma warehouse for refurbishing ahead of a possible sale. He has renamed it I Am. The Chronicle says the platform where it stood will become part of Embarcadero Park, due to break ground by the end of 2026.

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PRACTICAL

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WHAT TO EXPECT

The sculpture was removed from Embarcadero Plaza in October 2026. The Chronicle reports the platform where it stood will become part of Embarcadero Park, scheduled to break ground by the end of 2026.

ACCESS

Formerly at Embarcadero Plaza, across from the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street, San Francisco. It was dismantled in mid-October 2026 and taken to the artist's Petaluma warehouse; it is no longer on public view.

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