Client: Seattle Office of Arts and Culture

Overview

Origami Tessellation marks the entrance to Seattle’s Mercer Corridor, the primary arterial between the interstate, Seattle Center and the waterfront. The corridor was redeveloped as a boulevard with a planted median, wide sidewalks and specialty lighting. Origami Tessellation stands 28’ tall sited on a bermed median approximately 750 square feet. Composed of stainless steel with custom perforation pattern, it is illuminated from within and without.

Goals

Seattle has a long history of integrating artwork in infrastructure projects. A goal was to bring artistic elements throughout the corridor and to create an iconic artwork to define the area. The artist responded to the biotech and high tech center developing in South Lake Union. She inspired by fractal forms and tessellations found in science, art and math to inform her approach to the artwork.

Process

The artist joined the design team at design development and collaborated with the urban designer on pedestrian scale features including the in-ground changing lighting pattern and custom LED finials on the street lamps. Working collaboratively with the landscape architect, she contributed to the design of the planted berm including the selection of plant materials.

Additional Information

The Mercer Corridor includes nearby pedestrian-scaled Valley Street along the southern edge of Lake Union. The artist designed granite benches, utility covers, and mosaic sidewalk inlays. Taken together, they enrich the pedestrian realm with small scale, intimate details.