Oldenburg and Bruggen used a variety of materials for Cupid’s Span. The monument is 60 feet high. The materials used are stainless steel, structural carbon steel, fiber-reinforced plastic, cast epoxy and poly vinyl chloride foam; painted with polyester gel coat. The feathers at the top of the arrow are a b right red, and the bow a golden color.
The first sketches were made of the subject with the bowstring drawn back, poised on the feathers of the arrow, which pointed up to the sky. However, Bruggen found the original idea and position too stiff and literal. She then suggested turning the image upside down, so the arrow and the central part of the bow could be buried in the ground, and the tail feathers, usually down played, would be the main focus. center87122000Cupid’s Span was commissioned by The Doris and Donald Fisher Foundation, San Francisco and installed in November of 2002. On one side of the monument was a plaque that read:
Cupid’s Span was inspired by San Francisco’s reputation as the home port. It frames the view of the bay so well, and its bridge. Through different angles at which the bow and arrow are set, it evokes sail boat tracking in a direction diagonal to the traffic that flows alongside the sculpture. Trying to steer away from the romantic idea of cupid, they evoked the mythological account of Eros shooting his arrow into the earth to make it fertile. The sculpture was placed on a hill, where one could imagine the arrow being sunk under the surface of plants and prairie grasses. By slanting the bow's position, Coosje added a sense of acceleration to the Cupid's Span. Thus, bringing in Motion to this art piece. They hoped for many different types of interpretations from this monument. They hoped for endless dialogue, and different feelings from different viewers when passing Cupid’s Span.