Art in the Open

Our group focused on the topic of art and nature in the city, and for two different views, we looked at Gas Works Park and Olympic Sculpture Park. The concept of the shared city applies to these two sites in multiple ways. As open public spaces, they provide dedicated spaces for enjoying the outdoors, and they are both situated on waterfront locations that allow for picturesque views of the surrounding city. Unlike traditional parks that cater to recreational or sports activities, these parks give free access to art and seem more like outdoor museums that encourage contemplation, inspiring or challenging the visitor to reconsider how we interact with art and what counts as art. Both parks exemplify a generous ideal for public spaces, whether allowing a public space for the Seattle Art Museum to share some of their sculptural holdings with the public or transforming what was once a utilitarian space into an open space, redefining the idea of the public park in the process. While the newer, dynamically designed Olympic Sculpture Park displays its various sponsors and patronage in several locations throughout the park, as well as warning signs for restricted actions, Gas Works Park evokes a more natural and historical image.

Gas Works Park has blurry boundaries in terms of nature and art, combining characteristics of man-made and natural entities. As we entered the park, we saw a colorful playground, decayed pipes, sculpture and huge mound. Since Gas Works Park is surrounded by dense conifers, grass and other plants, we felt like we were in nature. That huge mound, though natural-looking, is artificial, with a constructed pathway and decorative sundial on the top. Looking at the whole view from the top of the mound, we noticed that the pipes act as a symbol of the park, sharing its identity and history. The colorful building offers a recreation space for children while providing shelter for the homeless and behind the building are picnic tables. Gas Works Park is a good place for families, couples, students, bicyclers, photographers, dogs, birds, and plants since it provides beautiful views and connects both artwork and visitors to nature.

By: Eyun Jennifer Kim & Michelle Kang

Public Art/Public Claim

  

Team: Mickala Loeffelbein, Kathryn Christensen, Chris Morris
Location: Seattle, WA

Our group chose to investigate numerous examples of formal and informal

pieces of public art found throughout Seattle. Artists take claim of urban spaces in a way that

many people usually do not. Because of this, public art is not only a way that Seattleites share

the city, but also a way for artists to add new interest to Seattle. We define formal art as work

that the City of Seattle was a part of, and informal art as purely citizen-driven creations. The

formal pieces pictured are The Blue Trees and Children’s Art Tiles in Westlake Center, and The

View from the Canoe images near the Justice Center. Although all three are successful at

transforming the spaces they are in, they tend to look like “art-bandaids” applied to ugly or

uninteresting areas of the city. Our informal pieces, however, exemplify how organic,

spontaneous artwork enhances the urban setting. The Gum Wall in Post Alley, Ghost Bike in

the U District, and graffiti found around Seattle reflect the creativity of people who inhabit the

city. When Seattleites take a claim over public space like this, they add their stories and

experiences to the urban fabric. The Ghost Bike, a bike painted white, chained to a post on the

intersection of NE Campus Parkway and University Way, is a memorial to a rider who was hit by

a car at that spot. By installing the Ghost Bike, the artist transformed the intersection into a

memorial for the rider. The Gum Wall and graffiti are unique pieces with varying contributors,

but both achieve the same goal of beautifying blank city walls. After observing all these sites,

we conclude that informal installations are more successful than formal ones when it comes to

city sharing. Government-issued art is not always reflective of Seattle.

Portions of Public Parks

Lindsay Sauerlender

Harminder Dhaliwal

Adrian Servetnick

                 

Our group went to two locations in Downtown Seattle on January 17^th during mid afternoon. The first was Westlake Park, which was not as busy as we had expected, but there was an interesting dynamic among the different types of people. In Photo 1, you can see the large group of, if not homeless, then malcontents gathered in the corner of the square by the bus stop. Other than this group, the only other people sharing the square were the three police officers patrolling the park (Photo 2). Also in this photo you can see a large arch and stage, which was constructed as a means to facilitate entertainment to the public. It is interesting that, despite the openness of the square, any and all people in the area are grouped to the corners and sides. The art (blue trees), lights, and benches in Photo 3 demonstrate the effort made to appeal to public enjoyment of the park. These benches also serve as a resting place for shoppers in the area. The second location we visited was Victor Steinbrueck Park. In these photos you can see how the park was designed with a seating area to showcase the views of the water (as well as the recent addition of the Great Wheel). The canopy here provides a necessary shelter for people to share in the frequent Seattle rain (Photo 4).  Photos 5 and 6 were taken a bit farther away from the water, but they demonstrate the appeal to tourists with the cement benches that, in addition to providing seating (Photo 5), are also used for community business when they are filled with the wares of vendors (Photo 6).

The Urban Gallery

On Sunday, January 20th we examined the process of privatization within the public spheres of the famous streets of the most touristic hotspot of the city, Pike Place Market. Our focus was centered on the unspoken private “businesses” of those individuals that shape our experience at the market, rather than the authorized shops and restaurants that only attract attention behind closed doors. The concept of designing an experience into a space as opposed to designing a space to match a certain experience, is greatly evident in the streets of downtown Seattle. Throughout our walkthrough we found it fascinating the utilization of street space by lower classmen and their positive impacts on the experiences that are designed into an area. Not only how they are purposely designed, but how they evolve organically. Among the arts we found were street performers, three-dimensional Sculptures, both approved and unapproved, and works that arise from the many hands, like the graffiti walls and the infamous gum wall. The streets became a stage for the performers, while the walls became a gallery all emphasizing the beauty behind the shared city.

Sculptures such as the Tree of Life and the Market Foundation Piggy Bank were public works constructed as art pieces for the city and its citizens. Both of these works were paid for in donation from private entities. As private businesses attempt to become more involved in communities, they simultaneously help pay for public works. Repetitive private advertising found throughout the community satisfies both the private sector and meets the public’s needs. On the other hand, the blurred boundary is found in organically formed art, in the form of street artists and street.

~Jake Mellinger, Nick Durig, and Yair Cohenca

Flowing Cityscape

Flowing Cityscapes

Our group chose the Burke Gilman Trail to explore the idea of city sharing. On the day we walked the trail, it was overcast and bitterly cold. We started out at the corner of 15^th Ave and Pacific Street and walked to Gasworks Park. The trail offered different views, people’s activities, buildings, animals and vegetation all coalescing and intersecting along the sequence.

Generally the trail has blurry boundaries, fusing the natural environment and people, with an indistinct line between public and private land. The trail abuts apartment homes, street intersections, public art, views of the city and pocket parks. There was a portion of the trail where the boundary was not blurred, and compressed as we passed a construction site, and under a bridge next to the Wall of Death.

The trail also incorporates a multi-sensory experience. Overall the path offers beautiful views and a connection to the environment, which is both psychologically healing and visually pleasing. The site encourages people who are out exercising and experiencing the beauty that the city and the trail have to offer. The views of the city and green vegetation are relaxing. Everyone who passed the construction site shared the overwhelming acrid odor. People hear the noise of traffic passing under the bridge. The space compresses under a blanket in shadows, the art suggests a darker side to the sequence.

For us the Burke Gilman trail connects the diverse character of the city with the people in the city. At the end of our sequence, Gasworks Park stood as a landmark connecting the trail with culture, history, ecology and cityscape.

By: Gabriel Cash, Guanyi Gao, Zhehang Lin

 

 



 

 

Boundaries Blurred: PARK(ing) Day in Seattle

             Founded by the Rebar group, a San Francisco based design and art studio, PARK(ing) Day is " an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks.”¹ The goals of PARK(ing) day are to bring awareness to the need for more open, public and green spaces in urban areas. Since the inaugural parking spot was transformed into a temporary park back in 2005, the event has become an international phenomenon, reaching cities (and parking stalls) across the globe. What makes this event particularly compelling to examine as an example of the idea of “City Sharing” is how not only the physical boundaries of the parking stall but also the social boundaries within an urban environment become blurred. As depicted in the photo slideshow, urban dwellers from a variety of unique demographics and socio-economic backgrounds are able to come together and cohabit a single parking stall space, transforming it into a fun, active and unique shared city space.            

          The creativity of designers and community activists who reimagine and work to temporarily transform these parking stalls is astounding. Providing different experiences through the physical design and inclusion of seating and activities, these seemingly mundane parking stalls become active places for social interaction and engagement. Many PARK(ing) day stall designs include the use of vegetation and landscape elements, creating the visual appeal and ambience of a community park or garden, which can be interpreted as an example of Rutherford Platt’s discussion of the “Garden City” movement in the early 1900s-- which targeted the design for open spaces in town areas for community parks and gardens which would be nostalgic of previous colonial gathering periods” (6:1994)².            

          Seattle’s participation in PARK(ing) Day illustrates the creativity and power of ordinary citizens to transform and share city spaces for the benefit of all.

Sources

1) http://parkingday.org

2) Platt, Rutherford H. 1994. From Commons to Commons: Evolving Concepts of Open Space in North American Cities.