The giant LOVE sculpture in the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall made me think of  words that represent an era. Love beads, love-ins and “make love, not war” were all part of the 1960s,  perhaps as a counterweight to the Vietnam War and the Cold War. Hippies were all about peace, love and whatever they thought “the man” was not for.

The LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana is a worthy example of pop art. He made the first one in 1970. It is carved from a single block of aluminum. It’s solid, heavy, and permanent, even as it is playful and decorative. There are several LOVE sculptures around the world and it was featured on a U.S. Postal stamp, so millions of people have seen it.

What word, would represent the 21st century? Maybe a giant LIKE? We LIKE each other, movies, restaurants and ideas online. Whether it should be made out of something substantial like metal or stone might be contradictory to the idea of LIKE. Maybe we can imagine a giant, colorful virtual LIKE to represent our 21st century lives.

Tags: LOVE sculpture, pop art, Robert Indiana, Scottsdale

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