Totem Lake Urban District Major Gateway Art
Creation, outreach, and development of public art for a rapidly growing urban district in Kirkland, WA.
Top image: Proposal for “All That Glitters” installation at the CKC underpass. Lower Images: Several versions of the Totem Lake IconDetails
Building on Kirkland’s 2018 Totem Lake Urban Enhancement Plan, Ann Marie worked with the City and community to develop public artwork and guidelines for five significant gateways with the goal of strengthening the identity of the rapidly developing urban district. Three concepts were developed with a vision of innovation and ‘dispersal’, where artworks are related yet unique to each site, inviting similarity without sameness and flexible responses to contexts. Two concepts were advanced based on positive public and City feedback:
“Innovation Triangle” is inspired by Totem Lake’s historic shingle mill and its role in the transformation of the local landscape, ecology, and economy. Mosaic patterns emerge from a traditional process of splitting timber into shingles overlaid with tree ring growth patterns. The resulting icon will inspire a suite of artwork that can respond to individual contexts and allow for site-specific variations.
“All That Glitters” capitalizes on the district’s existing monumental infrastructure, particularly the I-405 underpasses that divide the neighborhood, and proposes transforming them into welcoming corridors that also reflect their economic value. Several ideas for integrating the icon with luminescent materials, gold colors, and subtle lighting were outlined for initial discussions with WSDOT and the City.
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