Visiting the “reALIze” Monument

A boxer gets used to the “rat-a-tat” of the speed bag as it’s hit over and over in the gym.

So what happens when you take this integral piece of a fighter’s workout and multiply it 1300 times?

The result is an incredible outdoor monument that pays tribute to boxing’s biggest icon, Muhammad Ali.

I happened to catch a TV news clip of the “reALIze” outdoor work of art that was on display at the L.A. LIVE entertainment complex in downtown Los Angeles. Since I count Ali as one of my favorite boxers, I had to check out this mega monument to the “G.O.A.T.”–the Greatest of All Time. The former heavyweight champion’s face is synonymous with the sweet science and I was curious to see if the new exhibit would hold up under scrutiny.

How on earth could the artist and architects involved construct an exact likeness of the famous boxer with over a thousand speed bags?

Surprisingly, the result is an eerie likeness of “The Greatest’s” mug.

And I made it down to the curbside exhibit just in the nick of time. During the news reel the night before, the broadcast had mentioned “reALIze” would be up for just one more day. So arriving at the location early in the morning, we approached the speed bag monument only to see workers standing atop the scaffolding in the beginning stages of deconstructing the piece. Better late than never, I thought to myself as I could still make out Ali’s features amongst the hanging bags.

At first glance, the visual sculpture looks like a swaying jumble of speed bags in different sizes. From certain angles it simply looks like a mass of black and silver bulbs. But once you land on the “sweet spot” (just one area facing the front of the sculpture) the image shifts, giving you that “Eureka!” moment where you clearly recognize the face of Ali. Truly a cool effect in the clever masterpiece, which involves over five miles of stainless steel, approximately two miles of aluminum, and stands about 23 feet high. And of course, there are those infamous 1300 speed bags.

Talk about “Rope-a-Dope!”

There were thousands of metal “ropes” fastened to the bags to hold them in place in creating the Ali image.

Stepping carefully over the blue tarp that was set out to collect the bags as they came down one by one, I met one of the key players in this amazing art adventure. Architect Dwayne Oyler, of Oyler Wu Collaborative, was overseeing the Ali project as it was slowly stripped of the various strings of black and gray speed bags. With his partner Jenny Wu, Oyler worked with the “reALIze” artist Michael Kalish, known for his pop art style. The artist spent about three years designing this Ali piece, from inception to conception.

Oyler told me it took about five months to conceptualize the piece and five days to construct onsite.

“And when did you start taking it down?” I asked him.

“We started at 6 a.m.,” Dwayne replied as I watched the crew carefully take down the strings of bags and systematically place them in lines on the tarp. With large plastic bins nearby, the speed bags were then placed in storage in an organized fashion.

“What happens to all the moving parts now?” I say.

The L.A. based architect mentioned that they hope to reconstruct the Ali face once again in another city in the future.

As I watched the incomparable Ali’s face slowly fade away, I wondered how long it will take them till complete tear down.

“We’ll be done around Tuesday,” the amiable Oyler said with a smile.

So it will take four days to dismantle the attention-getting “reALIze” exhibit, which was first unveiled at the end of March.

As I continued to observe Ali’s famous face becoming a mere silhouette, I was happy to have had the chance to catch a glimpse of the temporary monument. And I think the L.A. LIVE venue was the perfect place to showcase this unique moving sculpture honoring Ali and his legacy. After all, boxing has been a featured sport three of the site’s properties. I’ve attended many live fights at Club Nokia, Nokia Theatre and the STAPLES Center across the street from L.A. LIVE. And there’s even an Oscar de la Hoya statue standing proudly in front of STAPLES, home also to the Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Sparks.

The City of Angels really is a grand mecca for the sport; Ali, himself, fought at the L.A. Sports Arena and the Forum back in the day.

Los Angeles continues to embrace boxing. Just last Wednesday, I attended the news conference announcing the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Sebastian Zbik clash that will take place at the STAPLES Center. The fans will continue to flock to the arenas always in search of the next superstar, looking to cheer on the newest champ in boxing.

But there is only one name that will always stand head and shoulders above the rest.

There is only one Ali.

While visiting the newest ode to the icon, I “reALIze” how this living legend has epitomized our sport for decades–and for decades more to come.

“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was.”–Muhammad Ali

Photos by Michele Chong

(B&W Photo Courtesy of Andrew Wintner and Dwayne Oyler)