Food & Drink

New Art Installation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

An art installation hanging above the Foundation campus comes alive at night

By Seattle Mag May 19, 2015

0615essentialsopener

This article originally appeared in the June 2015 issue of Seattle Magazine.

Seen in Daylight, the new art installation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation might easily be mistaken for an oddly placed safety net. But when night falls, it becomes an immense, iridescent jellyfish hovering above the campus and shifting in the breeze. Unveiled in February, “Impatient Optimist” is an aerial net sculpture (120 feet long, 80 feet wide, 40 feet deep) created by Massachusetts-based artist Janet Echelman, who knows her way around a giant net—she’s installed similarly stunning works across the globe, including at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C.

The ephemeral artwork is suspended between two buildings and composed of ultra-lightweight polyester fibers, which in the evening capture colored LED lighting projected from below. “The sculpture is a physical manifestation of connectedness,” Echelman says. It has particular relevance to the setting, she says, because “the number of knots alludes to the notion that the work of a single foundation member can affect a million lives.” Free and open to the public at all times. 500 Fifth Ave.

 

Follow Us

Seattle Launches Public Poetry Campaign

Seattle Launches Public Poetry Campaign

Short poems on sustainability will crop up across the city in April

Poetry installations will appear across Seattle starting April 1 as part of the city’s Public Poetry campaign...

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Seattle's art scene is embracing more voices and viewpoints than ever

Seattle has become something of a hot spot for diversity in the arts...

The Power Of Quitting

The Power Of Quitting

Giving something up is never easy, especially because society rarely rewards such behavior

I’m not a quitter... llustration by Arthur Mount

Selling Seattle

Selling Seattle

New effort from Visit Seattle showcases the city’s stunning beauty

Visit Seattle’s new three-and-a-half-minute destination video is worth bragging about...