Mirror, Seattle Art Museum, Washington Building, American Architecture, Architect
Mirror, Seattle : Art Museum Installation
SAM Permananent Facade Installation, Washington – design by Doug Aitken
Mar 6 + 5, 2013
Mirror Art Installation
Seattle, Washington, USA
Design: Doug Aitken
SAM Permananent Facade Installation
MARCH 4, 2013 – On Sunday, March 24, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) will unveil MIRROR, a permanent art installation for the façade of SAM by artist Doug Aitken that will become a new landmark in downtown Seattle.
New images added, 6 Mar:
MIRROR, 2013 (rendering) © Doug Aitken Workshop
For MIRROR, Aitken has employed the architecture of SAM’s building to reflect the energy and movement of the city. As a kind of living kaleidoscope, MIRROR consists of a monumental LED display that wraps around the northwest corner of the museum’s building.
The main component is a glass-covered horizontal band of images which dissolve into narrow columns of light that run up and down the façade in a dynamic configuration. Movement and energy from its surroundings allow the images that move across the work’s surface to expand and collapse as the building encounters and senses change.
“There is no doubt that MIRROR will transform First Avenue and Union Street creating a new crossroads for downtown Seattle,” said Kimerly Rorschach, SAM Director.
New images added, 6 Mar:
MIRROR, 2013 (rendering) © Doug Aitken Workshop
“With MIRROR I was interested in the idea of creating a living museum, a downtown building that could change in real time in relation to the environment around it. It‘s like an urban earthwork. Seattle is a very complex and fascinating city and MIRROR was an attempt to reflect the simultaneity of the culture and landscape you find there,” said Aitken.
MIRROR disassembles the architecture of the museum and replaces it with a living reflection of the energy and movement immediately surrounding the building. It will be a dynamic representation of the constantly changing environments that make up Seattle.
images : Doug Aitken
Rorschach adds, “Doug is one of the most exciting artists working today and it is thrilling to anticipate the response from the community to this work that is all about reflecting this extraordinary place where we live. It is a magnificent gift to the city from Bagley Wright who with his wife, Virginia, have made such an incredible impact on the life and culture of Seattle.”
MIRROR, is a gift of the late philanthropist and community leader, Bagley Wright, who commissioned the work for SAM’s collection before his death in 2011. Mr. Wright, along with his wife, Virginia, was a legendary arts patron and a celebrated collector of modern and contemporary art.
Mirror Seattle Art Museum information / images from Doug Aitken
Location: 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
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