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Program to fill empty Broadway retail spaces with art continues with new installation

As part of the same Sound Transit and merchant-backed program that dressed up a portion of the empty retail space inside the Joule development for the holidays, two local artists have created a new installation inside the empty walk-up cafe space in the front of the Broadway Market — that we’re embarrassed to admit right this minute we can’t remember the name of but do remember that they made their own kombucha tea. No installation — yet — in the next door empty retail space that has now sat empty for more than a year since Blooms consolidated at its 15th Ave East location. Here are the details on the new installation from artists Sam Trout and Matthew Parker.

Hello CHS,

Sam Trout and myself have recently installed a paper sculpture in the un-leased cafe space on the north end of the Broadway Market.


This marks the second window installation on Broadway Sam and I have worked on in the past month. For this window we used around 2000 white coffee filters, glued together on their fluted sides to create large “blankets”. We then suspended this in the space so that it cascades down towards the window on the Broadway side. It is very organic in shape. The piece is also lit from behind, giving it areas of glowing light – adding to the ethereal nature of it all. It is a breath of fresh air while you wait for your bus. Check it all out here.

In Sam’s words: “We decided to use coffee filters to create an organic shape that gave the feeling of whimsy, elegance, underwater sea life and rolling snow hills. We weren’t quite sure if it was going to work out. The space is not a standard shape and the coffee filters were not a medium we were used to working with. I had a feeling that the whole thing was going to fall apart on us and we were going to have nothing to show for a the hours of gluing coffee filters together. We learned quickly where our lessons needed to be learned and made some quick adjustments. In the end it pretty much ended up like I had envisioned “.

thanks,
matthew parker

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genevieve
genevieve
13 years ago

Apparently I never walk that far north on Broadway, because I had no idea that either the cafe nor Blooms had moved out of the B’way Market. A year since Blooms moved?!? oy

cheesecake
cheesecake
13 years ago

Bhimas

mroark
mroark
13 years ago

When I saw this illuminated space, I was struck by how beautiful the white forms were;gone were the jars of old food on the counters and in their place, something compelling to contemplate. Sam and Matthew, good work and very clever use of materials.