San Diego has a new surfer dude around town. It’s a surf-inspired sculpture and was dedicated at Triangle Park in Imperial Beach this weekend.
The 12-foot-tall sculpture titled "One With The Wave" depicts a surfer and a wave with a single piece of stainless steel. The big question is, will the locals like it?
You may remember the wave of controversy over another local surfer sculpture – “The Magic Carpet Ride.” It was unveiled in 2007 at Chesterfield Drive and south Coast Highway in Cardiff. Some said the surfer was striking a pose that's effeminate and said the guy looked like a ballet dancer.
“It didn't look, resemble anything that a normal surfer would be doing on a wave,” Cardiff resident Gary Murphy said.
So, some wise guy locals took matters into their own hands and dressed the sculpture up – in a skirt, bikini top and wrestling mask. Everyone we talked to at the time seemed to get a chuckle out of the gag. Dozens of people took pictures and posed with the less than fashionable model.
“Whoever put it up there did a lot of work to get up there. I think its great,” Ted Williams said.
Well, apparently not everyone was happy about the makeover. Two men showed up and would have no more of this fashion show. They stripped off the skirt, bikini and mask, to a few boos from onlookers.
Local
It’s only a matter of time before locals weigh in on the new $35,000 sculpture in Imperial Beach, dedicated by San Jose Artist Jennifer Cannon, and we want to hear your opinion, so please post your comments below.
If you want to take a peek of the new sculpture for yourself, it can be found in the grassy area between Palm Avenue and State Highway 75.
