Trades of the Duwamish
StairCase Mural- Seattle, Washington
Supported by Friends of the waterfront
ARtist - KAtherine CHilcote
Assistant- Claire BRandt
Artists Statement
The Staircase mural sits behind a descent to Seattle's waterfront park at Union and Alaska Way. In this mural you see a panoramic view looking down the Duwamish river from the middle of the Elliot bay. Multiple viewpoints of the Duwamish River were included in this landscape painting, functioning as a scene which you can walk into while climbing the stairs. The mural landscape was inspired by an industrial view of the Duwamish river from first avenue bridge. The four circles placed within the painted shapes of portholes provide a zoomed in bird’s eye view of labors of Elliott Bay.
The circles within the landscape are painted into the shapes of portholes from ships, as if you are seeing through a telescope or magnifying glass viewpoints of historic industries in Puget Sound. The industries which developed in parts of Elliott Bay, the Duwamish River and other parts of Washington’s waterways were once stationed near to the mural site. Scenes of fishermen, cannery workers, longshoremen, and log drivers have been painted into the circular porthole paintings. Looking out at the Puget sound both for its natural beauty and industrial history evokes feelings of both of the past and future. This mural will be viewed at a central waterfront location of Seattle that is about to be transformed. As pedestrians walk towards this mural it will evoke the rapid changes that are going to occur to these blocks of downtown.
The circular paintings within the landscape function like magnifying glass views of labor history. The figurative paintings will be placed on the wall in a position where people stop and rest when climbing the stairs, or look up at their walking pathway to downtown. The circular paintings are direct diagonal view points from the edge of the piers that are about to be transformed, while also being a reflective painting of the labors that came before us.
The circular paintings will be able to be moved to other new park locations in the city of Seattle when the viaduct comes down. Whether they are other ports under renovation, or blocks of the larger waterfront design plans, the circles can be installed multiple times and provide different viewpoints into the waterfront.
The Staircase mural sits behind a descent to Seattle's waterfront park at Union and Alaska Way. In this mural you see a panoramic view looking down the Duwamish river from the middle of the Elliot bay. Multiple viewpoints of the Duwamish River were included in this landscape painting, functioning as a scene which you can walk into while climbing the stairs. The mural landscape was inspired by an industrial view of the Duwamish river from first avenue bridge. The four circles placed within the painted shapes of portholes provide a zoomed in bird’s eye view of labors of Elliott Bay.
The circles within the landscape are painted into the shapes of portholes from ships, as if you are seeing through a telescope or magnifying glass viewpoints of historic industries in Puget Sound. The industries which developed in parts of Elliott Bay, the Duwamish River and other parts of Washington’s waterways were once stationed near to the mural site. Scenes of fishermen, cannery workers, longshoremen, and log drivers have been painted into the circular porthole paintings. Looking out at the Puget sound both for its natural beauty and industrial history evokes feelings of both of the past and future. This mural will be viewed at a central waterfront location of Seattle that is about to be transformed. As pedestrians walk towards this mural it will evoke the rapid changes that are going to occur to these blocks of downtown.
The circular paintings within the landscape function like magnifying glass views of labor history. The figurative paintings will be placed on the wall in a position where people stop and rest when climbing the stairs, or look up at their walking pathway to downtown. The circular paintings are direct diagonal view points from the edge of the piers that are about to be transformed, while also being a reflective painting of the labors that came before us.
The circular paintings will be able to be moved to other new park locations in the city of Seattle when the viaduct comes down. Whether they are other ports under renovation, or blocks of the larger waterfront design plans, the circles can be installed multiple times and provide different viewpoints into the waterfront.