Truth is Beauty

San Leandro, California, United States

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Truth is Beauty is a 55-foot-tall sculpture of a nude woman by Bay Area artist Marco Cochrane, the second in his series of three monumental sculptures. It debuted at Burning Man in 2013 and was permanently installed at the San Leandro Tech Campus, near the San Leandro BART station, in September 2016. BART describes it as stainless-steel grid work with over 2,500 LED lights computer generated into patterns and colors; CBS San Francisco reported its weight as 13,000 pounds.

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Truth is Beauty

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Site-level location · 37.7214° N, 122.1616° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Truth is Beauty is a 55-foot-tall sculpture of a nude woman that, according to the artist's website, moved from the Burning Man festival to a tech campus in San Leandro, California, in September 2016.

Bay Area artist Marco Cochrane made it as the second of three monumental sculptures. BART calls the series the Bliss Project, opening with Bliss Dance and ending with R'Evolution (the artist's site now titles it I AM, formerly R-Evolution). Cochrane's site says it debuted at Burning Man in 2013, and KTVU in 2016 said it was first shown there three years earlier; ABC7 in 2015 described it as built for Burning Man 2011.

BART describes stainless-steel grid work that gives the figure its shape and makes it sparkle in daylight, with more than 2,500 computer-programmed LED lights making patterns and colors at night. CBS San Francisco reported a weight of 13,000 pounds in 2015. Cochrane's site calls the pose, on tiptoe with arms outstretched and head thrown back, a moment of radical self-acceptance and love.

ABC7 reported that the city required the developer to set aside 1 percent of its construction budget for public art. KTVU reported in October 2016 that the statue sits at the entrance of the new campus, next to the San Leandro BART station, and that reactions were mixed: one resident called it fabulous, another said it was out of place. KTVU said the artist describes it as representing female empowerment and strength, and that its base asks what the world would be like if women were safe.

BART's page, last updated in June 2017, says it is right next to the station and lists a five-minute walk.

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A public plaza between the San Leandro Tech Campus and the BART station. Admission, hours and access terms are not documented in the sources reviewed; check locally before visiting.

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San Leandro Tech Campus public plaza, near 1600 Alvarado Street, adjacent to the Downtown San Leandro BART station, San Leandro, CA.

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