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A River Runs Through Us: “Duwamish Revealed” Celebrating Seattle’s Waterway

AP Images

A towering fish trap standing on end . Hundreds of pristine white ceramic shapes eating their way into the bark of a fallen tree. Or an estuary sculpted out of shipping containers. These are just a few examples of the dozens of art installations that have recently popped up alongside Seattle’s only river.

The exhibition is called Duwamish Revealed. It’s meant to remind viewers that the waterway running through the city’s industrial core is more than a toxic Superfund site. 

The efforts to expand perspectives on the Duwamish include works by 40 artists from around the world.

You can experience the work of a local sound engineer by venturing out onto a pier at West Seattle’s Jack Block Park. You might not see anything unusual right away, but you could find yourself startled by the sound of art emerging from the water beneath you.

Robb Kunz co-created https://vimeo.com/132070790">an 8-channel installation that surrounds the pierwith sound together with composer Joshua Kohl of the Degenerate Art Ensemble. The piece is called “Under Pier Pressure.”

Kunz says he wanted to contribute to the show because he's enamored with the strange confluence of the industrial and natural that he finds on the Duwamish. His composition aims to match the physical surroundings.

“So, found sounds, concrete sound of nature and industry,” he said.

You can push a button to activate the sounds, but Kunz says he likes it best when people happen upon them mid-stream.

“And they think that there’s a submarine or whales beneath them or you know, it’s very befuddling and sort of mysterious and magical.”

The surprise and curiosity such an encounter creates is just the kind of shift the exhibition is aiming for, say the show’s artistic directors, Nicole Kistler and Sarah Kavage.   

“The river serves industry, it serves a huge job base. But it’s also the home for a lot of wildlife and it’s where a lot of people live. And it’s a place that we should all care about and take notice of,” said Kistler, who is also a landscape architect.

“And we just want to remind people that it’s there," said Kavage, an artist and urban planner.  "And there is a lot of really amazing landscapes to explore and history that sort of runs through the river and through our city, through the river." 

They say if you time it right and hang out a while by the water’s edge, you might just meet a harbor seal or see some fish jumping.  

Duwamish Revealed continues through September 30th.

About Duwamish Revealed: www.duwamishrevealed.com www.facebook.com/duwamishrevealed #duwamishrevealed List of artists: http://www.duwamishrevealed.com/artists/ Map of art installations: http://www.duwamishrevealed.com/map/ Event calendar: http://www.duwamishrevealed.com/events/

Bellamy Pailthorp covers the environment for KNKX with an emphasis on climate justice, human health and food sovereignty. She enjoys reporting about how we will power our future while maintaining healthy cultures and livable cities. Story tips can be sent to bpailthorp@knkx.org.