The Seattle Department of Transportation's innovative Bridge Artist in Residence program is once again turning heads, this time with a tech-savvy twist, through the digital data visualization works of two local talents, Vivian Li and Mariah Vicary, set to unveil their creations starting First Thursday, February 1, 2024, at the King Street Station Gallery. These artists have honorably converted the hulking spaces within the University and Fremont bridges into makeshift studios where historical and modern data transform into visual narratives. Mariah Vicary, a maestro of generative art and web development, crafts interactive canvases that blur the lines between nature and pixels, while Vivian Li spins tales with her lyrical brush in hues that resonate with both light-hearted charm and profound context.
Each artist brings a distinct flavor to the exhibit; Mariah Vicary, the Seattle-based web developer takes her respect for nature and marries it to the algorithmic precision of technology, her projects a spectrum of colors and shapes beckoning visitor interaction, with unique journey being the operative phrase of her captivating digital performances, which are set to run in the gallery starting January 26 and beyond.
Vivian Li, on the other hand, paints digitally with a nuanced palette informed by her Chinese heritage, and through mediums like an ABC-themed comic cookbook or the influential Explore AANHPI Heritages website, she forges connections that go beyond pixels to touch on the pulpy essence of storytelling. Li's work through the celebrated Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Writers in the Schools program, alongside her bridge fandom, channels an approachable yet intellectually hefty narrative.
The SDOT's decision to earmark 1% of Art Funds for this residency illustrates a creative commitment to fostering a dialogue between urban infrastructure and public art, a sentiment encapsulated in the eclectic past media explorations, from music to graphic novels, all under this project's ever-widening umbrella. It's a move that not only raises the cityscape's aesthetic value but also serves as an ode to the symbolic gravitas these historic bridges hold within the Emerald City's vascular narrative. King Street Station Gallery visitors can immerse themselves in this convergence of data and design Wednesday through Saturday from 11 AM to 5 PM, and especially on February's First Thursday, when doors will keep welcoming until 8 PM.
The entire endeavor, adeptly administered by the Office of Arts & Culture, points to a broader cultural zeitgeist—a craving for art that not only decorates but also dialogues with its environment, engaging the public in a way that's as much about construction as it is about creativity. To see these digital tapestries firsthand, check out the King Street Station Gallery announcement for more details on the exhibit, open through February 10, 2024.
