33-Foot-Tall Humanoid

Council Bluffs, Iowa

Artist Tom Friedman crafted this 33-foot-tall figure to appear as if made of mashed-up aluminum roasting pans and crumpled tin foil. The roasting pan giant, titled "Looking Up," was unveiled in May 2019 in front of Council Bluffs' new River's Edge Pavilion. The clown-footed creature gazes skyward, as if he's waiting for other elongated guests to drop from the sky and join him on the lawn.

Friedman's sculptures often incorporate society's cast-offs as construction materials. This one was created by wrapping crushed roasting pans and foil around a styrofoam core; by the end of Friedman's process all of the pans, foil, and foam has been replaced by stainless steel.

"Looking Up" is Friedman's nod of sorts to modernist sculptor Alberto Giacometti, known for his own stretched out humanoids.

This is actually the second giant alien humanoid to stand on this spot. The original giant was first exhibited in New York City, then Chicago, then here, before it was sold to private collector in December 2020. But Council Bluffs missed it so much that the city ordered an identical replacement, which arrived in April 2021. The humanoid is now a permanent resident of Council Bluffs, as is an identical giant in Austin, Texas.