Seattle celebrates cyclists with “Parking Squid”
May 24, 2012, 1:38 PM | Updated: May 26, 2012, 10:20 am
"Parking Squid" highlights the need for more bicycle parking in Seattle as a part of this summer's celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. (Photo credit: Susan Robb)
(Photo credit: Susan Robb)
Local artist Susan Robb is helping the city celebrate
cycling and sustainability with her newest creation, the
“Parking Squid.”
The piece of public art is on display this summer as a
part of the city of Seattle’s “Next Fifty: Sustainable
Futures” event.
The squid is a large metal statue installed on the north
side of the Experience Music Project at the Seattle
Center. Cyclists can lock bikes to one of the squid’s
eight arms.
The installation will be inaugurated on Thursday, May 31st as a part of the city’s fiftieth anniversary of the 1962 World’s Fair, an ongoing event the city is calling “The Next Fifty.”
To commemorate “The Next Fifty,” the city of Seattle and
WSDOT are sponsoring six art exhibitions that include
temporary art installations and performances around the
Seattle Center and downtown.
The artworks will highlight the progress Seattle has made
in the fifty years since the World’s Fair and other
aspects of urban life upon which the city can improve.
Most of the exhibits focus on sustainability.
“Parking Squid” highlights the city’s goal to increase the
number of daily cyclists.
Other installations include “Current,” “Mater Matrix
Mother and Medium,” “Straw Garden: From Wattle to
Watershed,” “Stormwater: Life in the gutter,” and the
“Water Calling” short films, as well as several artworks
on the Civic Square construction fence downtown.
The large-scale installation, “Current” is a perfect
example of the series: a scale model of hydroelectric
power generation and consumption in the Pacific Northwest.
“Parking Squid,” on the other hand, specifically
highlights the need for bicycle parking and other
improvements for daily riders.
The piece reflects the city’s WSDOT Bicycle Master Plan
that is trying to triple the number of people who commute
by bicycle within ten years. The plan will be updated this
year based on community discussions and online survey
results.
“Parking Squid,” as well as the other art exhibitions,
will be on display at the Harrison Avenue entrance to the
Seattle Center until October 21.
For the full schedule of events, visit the “Next Fifty” event page
