Drawing the Land
Artist
Elizabeth Conner
MediumCast-in-place colored concrete
Dimensions2,000'L x 18"W x 5"D
ClassificationsEarthwork
Credit LineSeattle Parks and Recreation 2000 Pro Parks Levy and Seattle Public Utilities 1% for Art funds
Description: Drawing the Land recreates the project’s civil engineering plans in permanent, three-dimensional form, creating 2,000 lineal feet of concrete “contour lines,” visible from a variety of locations within the park. At intervals along these lines, visitors discover elevation markers that appear to “reveal” the recycled soil beneath one’s feet. Further exploration yields narrative related to the site’s transformation over time, reminding visitors that they are walking above a gigantic reservoir, now filled with recycled earth, and providing clues to infrastructure and social changes within the Beacon Hill community.
This artwork is the only earthwork in the Civic Collection
This artwork is the only earthwork in the Civic Collection
Artist Statement: I am fascinated by Jefferson Park’s historic, and ongoing, transformation of land into water, water into land, and back again. I see the most recent massive earthmoving effort that resulted in the park’s new landforms as an ironic reversal of the sluicing away of parts of the Beacon Hill neighborhood in the early 1900s, during which water was used to excavate the original reservoir. My artwork for Jefferson Park provides less-formal pathways, leading visitors to discover some of the less-known histories of this vivid Seattle neighborhood. With many thanks to Beacon Hill neighbors, storytellers and writers, including Mira Latoszek and Frederica Merrell.
Location: Jefferson Park, 4165 16th Avenue South, Seattle WA 98108
