Interbay Neighborhood Association

Most of us want to have a firestation nearby.  Probably not if you live across the street when the sirens go off and the trucks roar out of the station, but certainly when you’re in need of help and your house is on fire.  By 2014, Firestation 20′s new location in Interbay will be ideal for its strategic access to 15th Ave. W.  and overall support from Interbay and Queen Anne residents.

It will go in across the street from the Interbay Golf Course’s driving range.    Although it may ruin someone’s swing when the sirens go off the trucks and crew will be able to trigger street lights to get them on their way.   The station will be built on a dead-end street where Four Seasons Laundry currently is and will sit across from a storage complex.

The best part of all is that Firestation 20 will be a state of the art building in design and LEED certification.  It also will include an intriguing sculpture.  Bruce Wynn, Executive Director of the Interbay Neighborhood Association was invited to serve on the arts panel to select who would be commissioned to create the public art piece.   “I’m delighted that  Rob Ley was selected.  The light installations he has done in Los Angeles are eye-catching, sophisticated and beautiful.  For those of us that have worked for years to end the blight of Interbay, Rob’s artwork will be a great addition.”

Rob did his homework to hone in on what would inspire his creation which he is calling Opposing Forces.

“The piece located at Fire Station 20 is an extension of the observations I made during the time spent riding along with the fire fighters at Station 20.  One of the many discussions we had centered on how wind and water were the major factors in how fire is controlled.  Wind, which fuels the flames, was the element outside of their control, while water was the extinguishing element that they are heavily trained to control. Water may present itself as a gentle natural rain or as an incredibly forceful stream, controlled by the able hands of fire fighters. Wind, as well, may be experienced as a gentle breeze or as a gusting gale force fueling a nearly uncontrollable fire.”

This piece is a combination of these natural elements, diametrically opposed in their roles in fire fighting. The piece is made from 3/4″ stainless steel tubing, formed in long strands and welded together to create an abstract representation of wind and water.  The piece is placed on the west side of the building such that it engages those on the sidewalk and street and positioned in a way that it helps to frame the entrance to the build. The artwork design process will follow the fire station construction schedule with an anticipated 2014 completion date.

Updates on the artwork design will be included with the building information. For project information, please visit the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy’s Web site,
http://www.seattle.gov/firelevy/
. For more information about the artwork, contact Public Art Project Manager Marcia Iwasaki, (206) 233.3946 or marcia.iwasaki@seattle.gov.