Big Art Loop Installs WHISPERS OF WASTE Sculpture at India Basin Waterfront Park

The 13-foot sculpture by San Francisco artist Zulu Heru will be on display for one year.

Mar. 18, 2026 at 2:06am by Ben Kaplan

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Big Art Loop has installed a large-scale sculpture titled "WHISPERS OF WASTE" by San Francisco-based artist Zulu Heru at the India Basin Waterfront Park in San Francisco. The 13-foot sculpture, constructed from reclaimed scrap metal, industrial materials, and cement, explores themes of memory, transformation, and cultural continuity. The installation was selected through a community engagement process and will remain on view for one year.

Why it matters

The installation of "WHISPERS OF WASTE" at the India Basin Waterfront Park is part of Big Art Loop's mission to bring extraordinary public art into the everyday life of the city. The selection of this work was guided by community input, focusing on priorities like cultural representation, support for local artists, and connections to land and water.

The details

The "WHISPERS OF WASTE" sculpture was fabricated at The Box Shop SF in Bayview-Hunters Point and draws inspiration from the ancestral mask traditions of the Senufo people of Côte d'Ivoire. The installation was selected through a community engagement process led by Big Art Loop in partnership with the India Basin Waterfront Park's Equitable Development Leadership Committee.

  • The sculpture will remain on view for one year.
  • An artist-led walkthrough with Zulu Heru will take place during India Basin RecFest on March 21, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.

The players

Zulu Heru

A San Francisco-based artist who created the "WHISPERS OF WASTE" sculpture.

Big Art Loop

An organization that installed the "WHISPERS OF WASTE" sculpture at India Basin Waterfront Park as part of their mission to bring extraordinary public art into the everyday life of the city.

India Basin Waterfront Park's Equitable Development Leadership Committee

A committee that partnered with Big Art Loop on the community engagement process to select the "WHISPERS OF WASTE" installation.

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What they’re saying

“As artists, our craft is liberation. To both be recognized and selected by the local Bayview Hunter's Point community to extend the beauty and meaning of my work to more people is exactly what it's about.”

— Zulu Heru, Artist

“Big Art Loop is about bringing extraordinary art into the everyday life of the city. For this installation, we listened closely to the voices and values of neighborhood residents to help shape what would feel meaningful here.”

— Aliza Marks, CEO, Big Art Loop

What’s next

An artist-led walkthrough with Zulu Heru will take place during India Basin RecFest, a community event scheduled for March 21, 2026 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the walkthrough beginning at 1:30 p.m.

The takeaway

The installation of "WHISPERS OF WASTE" at the India Basin Waterfront Park demonstrates how public art can be a powerful tool for representing the values and cultural identity of a local community. By engaging residents in the selection process, Big Art Loop ensured that the artwork would resonate with and be meaningful to the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood.