Penrose Square - Arlington, Virginia : Sculpture by Richard Deutsch

Arlington's vision is that public art should be a force for creating strong, meaningful connections between people and places that are important to community and civic life. With this goal at the forefront, Richard Deutsch and landscape architect Don Hoover set out to create a unique and functional place that has relevance, beauty, and meaning, and one, which will further add a sense of belonging to this diverse and vital community.

During the early 1900s Arlington's Three Sisters Towers provided the first long-distance radio conversation, the first transoceanic radio telephone circuit and introduced regular broadcasts of time signals, which were important to ships who relied on accurate time checks for navigation. The design for Penrose Square, nearly an acre, includes an interactive water feature, shaded and lawn areas, paved areas for activity and performances, and many places to gather and play. Within this vibrant, versatile place is Echo, an interactive sculpture. Carved deep within the face of each monolith is a concave elliptical parabola based on the physics of sound waves. One stone faces the other. When one speaks into the first stone, listeners standing 100 feet away at the other stone, will hear clearly the voice and can have a conversation. Echo is a modern interpretation of Arlington's significant contribution to the history of communication.

Credits
Design Team Collaboration with Don Hoover, Principal, Oculus Landscape Architecture
Design Assistance: Ross Charles Smith, Architect, Deutsch Studio
Commissioned by the City of Arlington, Virginia