Snoqual / Moon the Transformer
Artist
Roger Fernandes
MediumRed cedar panels and planks; aluminum cut-outs; frosted cast glass; metal plates and hinges; acrylic latex paint
DimensionsSculpture: 10’6"H x 10’ W x 4’ D; Salmon gill bronze inlays: four sets, each set encompasses a 3’ x 6’ rectangle
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineSeattle Department of Transportation 1% for Art funds
Description: This artwork is made up of two 4’ x 9’ x 4” carved and painted cedar panels that share elements of the story of Snoqual and other cultural references. Connecting the two panels is a cross beam, in the middle of which is placed a metal cutout of Snoqual’s face. Translucent glass is placed between two identical metal cutouts of Snoqual’s face allowing light to interact with the glass and metal sculpture. The artwork reflects the clash of cultures, the traditional wood cultures of the Native people, and the metal, glass, concrete culture of the newcomers. All these elements are combined to suggest the structure of a cedar plank house made by the local tribes.
Each panel is free standing and has two faces. On each face is artwork that draws from the story or makes a Native cultural statement.
Four bronze sidewalk inlays of a basket weave pattern illustrating salmon gills, serve as a setting for the artwork and create a path like a winding river, a comment on the flow of nature versus the straight, hard lines of a cityscape.
Artist Statement: There are certain cultural, philosophical and historical points this artwork will try to address. One is that local Puget Salish culture accounted for dramatic change in the world as articulated by the Snoqual story. Another is that the Natives saw the powerful transformations wreaked by the invading European and American invading culture and would sometimes refer to them as Snoqual. Another is that the Native cultures and their arts are impacted and influenced by new technologies, and that Native artists are quick to respond to such developments. Culture is never static.
