That day when a Monterey native debuts a 6-story statue with a new song.

It's not every day you see a statue of your naked self unveiled—let alone a statue that stands some 55 feet tall.

But for Monterey High grad Deja Solis, formerly Jamie Solis, it's really not that big a deal.

After all, it has happened twice before.

The first towering statue in the Bliss trilogy by Mill Valley's Marco Cochrane appeared at Burning Man, as has each piece of the series. 

That one shoots up 40 feet and debuted in 2010. (It is now installed at The Park in Las Vegas.)

The second sculpture, "Truth is Beauty," made its debut at Burning Man in 2013, as I reported with "Burning Man’s most memorable art piece was hatched here; its mandate is relevant everywhere."

One passage from that report sticks out:

The piece’s first incarnation – as a statue no more than 18 inches high – came locally.

Its creator, Marco Cochrane, lived and worked in Monterey for four years and showed the small clay version with a series of others for a 2007 Pacific Grove Art Center exhibition, The Spirit of Femininity After the Revolution.

The inspiration, though, came much earlier, when Cochrane’s childhood friend was abducted and raped.

“[The rapist] must not have realized she was a human, that she was a real person,” he says. “I’ve been trying to solve this my entire life through my art.”

The final piece in the series, "R-Evolution," broke out at the Playa in Black Rock City in 2015.

Each sculpture involves thousands of hours of work.

The ultimate creation draws its shape from steel bracing covered in stainless steel mesh "skin" and wired with 2,500 interactive LED lights.

For "R-Evolution," Cochrane used a similar process to what he did previously, deploying a centuries-old device called a pantograph to enlarge the shape from the clay life-size original, then a 15-foot version, then the final massive sculpture.

The finished products is built from steel rod and tubing, with two layers of geodesic triangles—which required 55,000 individual welds—covered by a stainless steel mesh.

The purpose of the trilogy is powerful and personal to Cochrane, Solis and the hundreds of volunteers who participate. 

Here's how he describes the way it fits together, via his Marco Cochrane sculptor website:

The Bliss Project was made possible by a large community of support who help us fund, create and achieve our goals:

Changing human consciousness around the need to end violence against women now and expressing appreciation and respect for feminine energy and power that results when women feel free and safe.

Creating magnificent sculptures, as strong as the steel from which they are constructed, yet appearing human, alive and beautiful.

Generating an environment where people can participate in a community dedicated to ending violence against women.

What would the world be like if women were safe?

•••

The day "Truth is Beauty" debuted at the new San Leandro Tech Campus was Tuesday, Oct. 18.

When it comes to staying grounded, it helps that little is a big deal for Solis.

I've known her for a couple decades and seen her leap off towering rocks into Arroyo Seco River, dominate high-stakes high school basketball games, transform into a touring musician, start up a full-on off-the-grid farm, and become a caring step mother to boys who lost their biological mom to tragedy.

With each minor or major miracle, her typical response is to smile, shrug and stay present.

Still, the debut was that much bigger because it coincided with the debut of another heartfelt project, a single from her upcoming album. 

It's a collaboration with Dropical called "Fire Burning," appearing on her Deja Solis website later today.

Two days earlier she sang another of her songs, the fluid and soulful "Like a Rose," for her cousin Kelly McKay's wedding to Wesley Schweikhard at Mesa Del Sol Winery in Arroyo Seco.

An ever-so-gentle drizzle—and resulting rainbows—accompanied the ceremony and reception, adding a bit of grace and magic to the proceedings.

A lot like Solis' song.