What if jelly beans grew into towering sculptures? That is something like National Velvet. It stands tall next to the 16th Street Pedestrian Bridge. You can even see it from I-25.
This red sculpture is the work of Denver visual artist John McEnroe. It has been here since 2008. Denver Arts & Venues says it is one of the city’s most talked-about artworks.
People have many ideas about what National Velvet looks like. Some say a pile of raw beef. Others see sausage links. Still others think it looks like human intestines. One person even called it a saggy boob electric penis.
When the sculpture was installed it got some negative attention. One critic said McEnroe was making a sexual statement. McEnroe chose not to respond to the criticism directly. He believed the artwork should speak for itself. He describes National Velvet as an abstract obelisk. It was made in a non-traditional way. McEnroe insists National Velvet does not represent anything. It is not a political statement. It is not a social idea. It is not an inside art joke.
The original idea was to put artwork under the pedestrian bridge. It would have used retro-reflective tape. But engineers worried about the bridge’s quality. So, McEnroe went back to the drawing board.
He found inspiration in an unusual place. A friend who makes prosthetic parts uses a special nylon. McEnroe started experimenting with this material. He tied it up and poured sand inside. He could manipulate the shapes. These became like bricks he could build with.
When the bridge project restarted McEnroe used his nylon and sand experiments. The team built the sculpture in sections. They stacked nylon bags of sand. They snuggled them in at each layer. This created a tapered obelisk. When the tower reached four feet they brushed on resin. This formed a hard candy shell. Then McEnroe cut the nylon. He removed the sand. He burned off the excess nylon. The plastic hulk was painted with special yacht paint.
McEnroe worries the sculpture might blow over in a storm. That is what keeps him awake at night.
The name National Velvet came from a classic movie. McEnroe was watching Turner Classic Movies. The 1944 film National Velvet with Mickey Rooney and Elizabeth Taylor was on. He loved the title. He wanted to use some of that excitement.
National Velvet even won the People’s Choice Award for best new public art in 2008. Standing 20 feet tall it has an aluminum base and a red fiberglass sculpture. The hollow interior is lit by compact fluorescent lights. Some viewers find it thought-provoking. Others simply love it. Many find it photogenic. A few even find it interactive. National Velvet forces you to look at it and think. Whether you love it or hate it, it is certainly memorable.