Water Carry

Location:  The Interurban Pump Station, Tukwila WA

Medium:  fabricated steel, epoxy paint, porcelain tile, porcelain enamel

Dimensions: artwork site: 23’ x 23’ x 23’, sculpture: dimensions variable

Project Budget:   $63,000 (1996 dollars)

Date of Completion:  1996

Description: Water Carry is one of the first projects in King County to transform a formerly “hidden” infrastructure site into a public site with artwork.  The artwork defines a clear relationship between two distinct zones at the site:  public façade on the street, and private utility seen through the façade at the back.  The artwork is a tableau of sculpture and poetry, intended as a threshold of welcome to the site. The poetic text is sandblasted into the tile, and tells a story of how the site is related to water. The text is integrated on tile-patterned pavement.  The tile pattern creates a “river/rug.”   Conceived as a rest stop along the bike trail at Interurban Avenue, the tableau includes a drinking fountain, and the sculpture elements can be used as seating.

Client:  King County Water Capital Project

Commissioning Agency:  4Culture, Seattle WA

Design Team:   Donn Hogan, Architect with HDR Engineering, Inc., Lee and Associates Landscape Design and Judith Roach, Poet