Onades (Waves), Andreu Alfaro

These waves extend a welcome and bid farewell to those arriving in or leaving the city by sea. They decorate one end of the Plaça del Carbó, the entrance to the harbour breakwater. The work impresses us with its sheer size and flexible forms.

Located at the end of the walkway built in 2003 to connect the Plaça del Carbó and the Moll de Sant Bertran quayside, the sculpture Onades (Waves) is the crowning glory of Barcelona's seafront area. The Valencia-born artist Andreu Alfaro boldly reproduced the shape of the waves of the nearby Mediterranean sea in this majestic, yet subtle ensemble. The sculpture consists of a series of seven tubular steel arches that rise above the central section and the roads that connect the city with the quayside where the World Trade Center stands. The sculpture is 42 metres high and weighs 15 tonnes. The largest arch casts no shadow over the others and they all make up a unique ensemble which looks fragile in spite of its weight, and interacts with the modernity of the area.

The waves provide a refreshing welcome to the visitors arriving in Barcelona by sea and a warm farewell to those leaving from this area of the new harbour city.