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Monday, June 11, 2012

Capitol Hill Light Rail Murals


Baso Fibonacci - Untitled (top left), Kelly Lyles - Cal Anderson Portrait (top right)
Tim Marsden - BOOM! (bottom left), Cameron Larson - Caps for Slats (bottom right)
Capitol Hill Light Rail Murals, Baso Fibonacci - Untitled Capitol Hill Light Rail Murals, Kelly Lyles - Cal Anderson Portrait
Capitol Hill Light Rail Murals, Tim Marsden - BOOM! Capitol Hill Light Rail Murals, Cameron Larson - Caps for Slats
The future site of the Capitol Hill Link light rail station is currently surrounded by a red construction wall and will be for several years. While we wait for the new transit stop, Start, Sound Transit Art Program is using the wall as a venue for an exhibition of temporary public art featuring rotating installations. We photographed only a few of the installations. Each installation has its story, and interviews and videos of each are at the startwallproject.blogspot.com site.

Artists/Works:

Baso Fibonacci – Untitled
This huge (135 feet long x 24 feet) Baso Fibonacci-designed mural is on 10th Avenue East at the corner of East John Street. The untitled mural includes a self-portrait of the artist that, according to a video interview, represents frustration. Below is a photo of what stood in the location of the mural before demolition for the mural began. (Image from Google Maps.)

Baso Fibonacci – UntitledBaso Fibonacci – UntitledBaso Fibonacci – UntitledBaso Fibonacci – UntitledBaso Fibonacci – Untitled

Kelly Lyles - Cal Anderson Portrait
Cal Anderson (1948 - 1995) was Washington’s first openly gay state legislator of the 43rd district which includes Capitol Hill and the namesake of the adjoining park. (The original park, Lincoln Reservoir Park, was another Olmsted Brothers designed park. In a previous post we talked about the Dunn Gardens which was also designed by the Olmsted Brothers.)

Cameron Larson - Caps for Slats
This work is composed of some 7,000 beer bottle caps arranged and screwed into a section of the Broadway-facing wall surrounding the site. It is an 8 foot by 8 foot portrait of the recently departed Capitol Hill icon, Chris Harvey aka "Slats".

Cameron Larson - Caps for SlatsCameron Larson - Caps for Slats

Tess Martin - The Whale Story
This mural is the site of the animated film of the same name, retold in paint on 16 foot high wall. The film is based on a true story of a whale caught in fishing nets and eventually freed by humans.

Tess Martin - The Whale StoryTess Martin - The Whale Story

Tim Marsden - BOOM! - Is That All There Is?
This mural is inspired by the Peggy Lee song of the same name. The mural imagines what it would be like to experience a real-life (cartoon) explosion, complete with a big boom and flying debris.

Tim Marsden - BOOM! - Is That All There Is? Tim Marsden - BOOM! - Is That All There Is?

Nicole Bernard, Jess Rees - Mapping Capitol Hill
Two local history buffs serve up facts about Capitol Hill’s past, complete maps and timeline that show the layers of history that go into making the neighborhood. A section of century-old planking is tacked up on the wall. It was found 38 feet below present grade near the Paramount Theater on Pine Street during the construction of the extension of the light rail tunnel from downtown to Capitol Hill.

Specs one - Watching Emeralds
An homage to the Emerald City, by Seattle’s own hip hop super-hero.

Nicole Bernard, Jess Rees (left), Specs one (right)
Nicole Bernard, Jess Rees - Mapping Capitol HillSpecs one - Watching Emeralds

Kristen Ramirez - Spin a Tale, Emerald City
This installation invites you to create your own formula for thumbs up or thumbs down.

Evan Blackwell - Somewhere Between Here and There
While not our favorite installation, it is inspired by our favorite artist statement: “At the very core of my research is a desire to create a harmony between the reality of my urban existence and my own personal ideology. My goal is to reinvent much of my surroundings both philosophically and physically in order to experience a more fulfilling life.”           

Evan Blackwell (left), Kristen Ramirez (right)
Evan Blackwell - Somewhere Between Here and ThereKristen Ramirez - Spin a Tale, Emerald City

A Window in the Wall with Travelmarx Reflection (left), Capitol Hill Wall Project (right)A Window in the Wall with Travelmarx Reflection

Piece of the Wall Near Call Anderson Park (left), A Peek At the Tunnel (right)
Piece of the Wall Near Call Anderson Park A Peek At the Tunnel, Capitol Hill Light Rail

Walking the Fibonacci Mural
Walking the Fibonacci Mural

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