ARTS and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) commissioned local emerging artists to develop new temporary art installations for four locations along SPU’s Ship Canal Water Quality Project locations in north Seattle. FLOW is featured at four site locations in Wallingford, Fremont and Ballard that make use of temporary construction walls and fences as part of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project. The latest round of artists installed their artworks and will remain on display until August 2021.  

Barry Johnson, If only I Could 
Ballard – 24^th Ave NW & Shilshole Ave NW 
This work is about duality and the constant role changing that’s forced upon Black people. We have to navigate many of our public situations differently from everyone else. Something as simple as turning without using a signal can result in death or any other small act that can easily be glossed over. We’re forced to change and constantly adapt our images to exist without threat of punishment. This work reflects the constant change that is forced upon us.  – Barry Johnson 

Hugo Moro, Watergates 
East Ballard – NW 45^th St & 11^th Ave NW 
The addition of this tunnel to our infrastructure is a testament to our community’s commitment to protect the beautiful Salish Sea. We must also endeavor to eliminate, or greatly reduce our individual carbon footprint, specially where single-use plastics are concerned. This work is constructed from plastic generated over a year by a family of two.  – Hugo Moro 

Whitney Lynn, Wine-Dark See 
Fremont – NW 36^th St & Leary Way NW (Adjacent to Burke-Gilman Trail) 
Wine-Dark See is a series of narrative backdrops; a non-linear sequence of collaged public domain images combined with text drawn from Homer’s Odyssey, an epic poem describing a circuitous journey home, across stormy seas, after a prolonged series of difficult events.  – Whitney Lynn 

Janelle Abbott, The Future Needs You NOW You Need the Future 
Wallingford – N 35^th St & Interlake Ave N 
The Future Needs You NOW You Need the Future is a temporary art installation that brings awareness to the impact of climate change on mental health in light of current trends of overconsumption. Artist Janelle Abbott invited community members to send her their well-worn t-shirts in order to recontextualized potential waste into art. The t-shirts were cut into strips, wrapped around wire, then attached to the fencing adjacent to the North Transfer Station in order to spell out this important message that invites everyone to pause and take action for the future of our planet. 

Coming Soon: Artists Selected for FLOW 2021 – 2022

ARTS and SPU recently commissioned 11 emerging artists to develop new temporary art installation for four Ship Canal Water Quality Project sites that will be on display from August 2021 through February 2023. Artists selected include:

Ballard site: Dozfy, Va’eomatoka Valu, Perri Rhoden

East Ballard site: KT Hancock & Sarah Terry, Marsha Rollinger

Fremont site: Allyce Wood, Tommy Segundo, Christina Caravaglio

Wallingford site: Clare Johnson, Kait Rhoads & Lisa Liedgren Alexandersson, Malayka Gormally