October 2, 2014
Mariah Timms
News Writer
Wash DC News
The installation of a six-acre portrait of a young male face made of soil and sand has been completed along the National Mall. To view it properly, a visitor would need to be at the top of the Washington Monument, or in space. At ground level, the portrait operates much like a zen garden, with the lines of the face acting as paths along which visitors can walk. All of the materials, 2,500 tons of sand and 800 tons of topsoil, were donated, and will eventually be used to improve the grass of the Mall. The portrait was designed by Cuban-American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Garcia, who formed the face from a composite of the faces of 30 young men between the ages of 18 and 25. All of the men were photographed at the Mall throughout the year. The installation will open for visitors Saturday, and will remain accessible through the end of October.
