Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop: New Media Artwork Commission

The Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in collaboration with Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Seattle Department of Transportation, seeks to commission an artist or artist team to create a new media work that will draw people to the Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop and help them engage with the site in unexpected ways.

The Cheshiahud Lake Union Loop is a six-mile multi-use loop surrounding Lake Union in Seattle, named in honor of a Duwamish chief who led a village on the lake. The loop connects diverse neighborhoods and passes through residential areas, industrial areas, parks, and a working waterfront with historical maritime uses. It connects Gasworks and Lake Union parks and links more than 35 pocket parks, street ends and waterways around Lake Union. The selected artist will create a participatory new media project drawing on the history and context of the site. Possible media and approaches include podcast or cell-phone based audio work, audio and/or video tours using mobile media and GPS, and walking tours or interactive events using the Web. The work should be experienced in some form on-site in multiple locations along the loop and will be available to the public for a minimum of one year.

Eligibility: Open to artists living in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and California. Artists may apply as a team. Students are not eligible. Budget: $18,000 all-inclusive. Finalist interviews anticipated for the week of February 8, 2010. Selected artist must be available to work on the project in spring 2010 and begin presenting work to the public in early summer 2010. Application deadline: January 12, 2010, 11 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Submit applications online via CaFÉ at http://www.callforentry.org/, including letter of interest (not to exceed 2,000 characters), résumé, three references, and work sample description. Audio and/or video work samples totaling five minutes maximum must be submitted on CD-R/DVD-R and delivered by mail or hand-delivery to the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m., January 12, 2010. Contact Marcia Iwasaki at [email protected] or (206) 233-3946.