Next week, the 45-foot public art sculpture I Am (previously known as R-Evolution), will be removed from its spot at the bottom of Market Street where it’s stood since April 2025. Created by Marco Cochrane, I Am is one of a series of enormous pieces he created in collaboration with model Deja Solis, whose form and impressive posture gave them shape.
Not everyone has been a fan of I Am, but in the year-plus it’s stood across the Ferry Building, it became an undeniable tourist attraction, serving as backdrop for countless influencers and gracing the cover of our first print issue.
On Friday, the city will celebrate I Am with a farewell event from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. featuring Cochrane and Solis.
Solis, 47, lives in Nevada City where she runs Sierra Sol Camp, a rustic HipCamp. She spoke by phone about her years of working with Cochrane and what they envisioned for I Am and the other gigantic works they created.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you come to model for Marco Cochran on the statue?
Marco found me in Blockbuster Video 20-something years ago. He was wearing a black leather jacket and looked at me kind of cock-eyed with this steely-eyed look and I thought, “Oh god, who’s the creeper?”
Did he say ‘I want you to model for me’?
He said nothing. He went to his car, he got his binder, he followed me into Trader Joe's and as he got closer and he approached me, I saw the fear and terror in his eyes and it was very disarming. So I thought, “Oh OK, who’s this guy?” He said “I’m looking for a 6 foot tall model.” I was wearing layers and layers of clothes. If you ask him, he said, “I just saw your energy.”
When you went to model for him, did you know that it was going to be for such a larger than life piece?
Oh, absolutely not. We did a series of five poses and really got to know each other pretty well. And the first thing he asked me is, “How would you like to make the world a better place?” And I said, “Well, easy.” [With], you know, fabulous, wonderful, feminine energy. Goddess energy. The world is lacking that touch. It’s a sad day when we're lacking representation.
How long did you pose for the sculpture that became R-Evolution, or as it’s been renamed, I Am?
We have three of the large series. Bliss Dance, which is in Las Vegas; Truth is Beauty in San Leandro, and this one. I think maybe ten to 15 years is what it took me to model for all of them at different times. It would be a session of four hours. I’d get my butt to yoga every morning and get myself right in the head so that I could be limber enough to do some of the poses.
Obviously, the third one was pretty easy but it really did take a stillness. We had a serious prayer that we wanted to make the world a better place and just a lot of conversations, a lot of visions and dreams that came to fruition through those conversations.
Did you have anything that you were meditating on as you stood there for so long?
Every one was different, but R-Evolution, or I Am, was about a peaceful presence, embodying oneself just being in your own body and gathering yourself to be present. For me, the way I say it is, to shine your love light, to really be present in your heart.
What did you feel when you saw the finished product?
I feel like all of them are so breathtaking. The idea of the larger than life pieces is that you get to kind of be the little kid. The last time you saw a form that size was when you were a toddler. If you could drop into what it feels like to be small and be held by that peaceful presence, to be in a safe space. It was just kind of a call to all people like, we are one human race. We stand together. The more we stand together, the stronger we are.
When you see it, do you say “That's me”?
Yeah, I really do. I'm very blessed to be a part of that representation. I feel honored in that way. Of course, I feel seen by Marco, but the truth is that we grew a beautiful friendship.
When it was installed in San Francisco, some people loved it, some people were less favorable towards it. How did you feel about it being in such a central place like that?
I think if there are no haters, then you’re not doing it right. You really need to start a conversation, so we expected it. I was a little disappointed with San Francisco because it’s gone to so many other places — Vegas, Miami — and it was a little like, Really, San Francisco? But I think it did start conversations and that’s what we want.
It became a symbol of San Francisco bouncing back after the Doom Loop and a lot of people saying, “What kind of city are we bouncing back to?” Can a sculpture — even one quite so big — hold that on its shoulders?
Yeah, we got a lot of like, “You know, there's homeless people. Why isn’t the money going there?” And the truth is that there was one wonderful benefactor that felt like this was the mark he’d like to put. And so, you know, when something like that happens, you say “Thank you.” You say thank you for caring about art and caring about people and caring about culture.
How do you feel now that she's coming down?
I’m really truly sad because it is the coolest place that statue has stood as far as I’m concerned. For me, San Francisco is my city, you know? I’m from Monterey; I live in Nevada City and it’s our middle ground. It’s our city. And so, I felt really wonderful just to be able to hold that space for the time that we did.
