Check out Portland, Ore. artist Adam Kuby’s artwork Hydro-Bio-Geo at the celebration for the completion of Seattle Public Utilities’ (SPU) Madison Valley Stormwater Project. Join city of Seattle elected officials, SPU staff and community members at Washington Park to celebrate the completion of the project, take a self-guided tour of the new Washington Park facilities, and see Kuby’s artwork. The event is 10 to 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 22, at Washington Park Stormwater Storage Tank near 29th Avenue East and East Madison Street (entrance off of East Madison Street, northwest of City People’s Garden Store). Kuby is not able to be in attendance.
A companion piece to his multi-part artwork Incrementally at a nearby stormwater detention facility, Kuby designed Hydro-Bio-Geo to be compatible with the character of Washington Park. The artwork animates the exposed facade of the 14-foot-tall stormwater holding tank. Three pairs of downspouts and weep holes send water down the wall to a rain garden below. These wet zones will soon become lush and green as they become colonized with moss and ferns. In between, faux-bark facades lead to 29 cavity nesting birdhouses embedded in the wall. As the landscape matures, the bird houses will become more attractive nest sites.
Kuby has created permanently sited artworks in the Northwest and Canada and has exhibited his artworks throughout the country. His artworks are collaborations with the built and natural world that aim to foster a sense of connectedness in our environment. Each project provides an opportunity to explore how human activity and natural systems can better coexist and how art can promote a deeper sense of place.
The artwork is funded with SPU 1% for Art funds and addresses SPU’s stewardship of water collection and drainage.
Getting there: Washington Park is accessible by Metro buses 11, 43, 48 and 84. ADA access to Washington Park is available at the north side of the Washington Park playfield, from the parking lot off of Lake Washington Boulevard East.
For more information: Contact Grace Manzano, Project Manager, (206) 233-1534.
IMAGES: Adam Kuby; Hydro-Bio-Geo; 2012; basalt, cast acrylic, recycled plastic; 14’ x 110’ x 8”. PhotoS by the artist.