By Richard Serra | 2004 | Weathering steel

Step inside a sculpture that moves without moving. Richard Serra’s Wake isn’t just something you look at — it’s something you feel. Five massive steel “waves” soar 13 feet high, bending and folding through space like liquid metal caught in a moment.

Crafted from weathering steel (the kind that rusts beautifully), each curved sheet weighs around 50 tons — yes, heavier than a Boeing 737 — and was shaped at a shipyard using shipbuilding techniques in Rhode Island, at a shipyard in Middletown. Serra didn’t just design Wake; he engineered an experience.

📸 Photo Tip: Capture a person between the steel sheets to show the scale. Or stand at the ends for dramatic symmetry.

Did You Know?

• Serra designed Wake to be walked through. The changing acoustics and perspectives are part of the artwork.
• It’s one of Serra’s largest public sculptures on the West Coast — and a visitor favorite for both contemplation and selfies.

Installed in 2004 at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, Wake captures motion, memory, and material all at once. The name? A nod to the trail left in water by a moving ship — and the lasting impression this artwork leaves behind.