Call to Artists: Request for Qualifications
Artist Opportunity
Closed Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 5 p.m. PDT
(Please Note: An email version of this call was distributed with an incorrect closing date of May 5th. We apologize for any inconvenience this error may cause.)
Create a major artwork integrated in the design of a new underground light rail station serving the
University of Washington (UW) campus, the UW Medical Center, Husky Stadium, Hec Edmundson Pavilion and the surrounding Seattle neighborhoods.
Sound Transit would like the art created for the station to be focused on the underground experience of pedestrians and light rail riders.
An artwork is sought that will give transit users an engaging experience as they move 110 feet underground to the train platform, that expresses the sophistication and influence of an internationally prominent research university, but that is not necessarily representative of any specific university activities or departments.
Artists experienced in creating light and technology based artwork and artists who have investigated wayfinding and marking locations as a component of their work are encouraged to apply, as well as 2-D artists who can work at a large scale in durable materials. Artists working in all media will be considered, as the panel seeks an artist who can create a unifying art experience for commuters traveling to and from this station who work in the world of ideas, and with achieving mental and physical excellence.
A prominent potential art zone and key architectural feature of the station is a central wall reaching from the ground level to the center loading passenger platform. Stairs and escalators will criss-cross on either side of a luminescent and porous wall. At the train level, the ceiling opens up to heights of approximately 35 feet on the north and south ends of the passenger platform.
Sound Transit (ST) is committed to incorporating artwork and the contribution of artists into the built environment of the multi-modal transit system it is constructing across the central Puget Sound region.
Location
The underground station entrance is in the southeast corner of the UW Campus adjacent to Husky Stadium and the UW Medical Center on Montlake Blvd near NE Pacific St. in Seattle, Washington and serves a number of adjacent and nearby residential neighborhoods. A skybridge will connect the station to the campus just north of the Burke-Gilman bike trail.
Budget
Project Budget: $550,000
$440,000 for fabrication, installation, Washington State taxes (2007 dollars)
$110,000 for design development and oversight costs
As possible, the budget will be adjusted for inflation.
Timeline
- Application Deadline: March 19, 2008 (extended)
- Finalist Interviews: Expected April 9, 2008 (subject to change)
- Selection Announcement: Expected April 15, 2008
- Design Process: April 2008 – March 2009
- Station Opening: 2016
Note: The 9-year timeline is due to tunneling from downtown Seattle under Capitol Hill and Portage Bay to the University of Washington. As possible, the budget will be adjusted for inflation.
Deadline
Application materials must arrive at Sound Transit no later than 5:00 p.m. PDT ON WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2008.
Artist Commissioning Process
This opportunity is available to established, professional artists/artist teams with no geographic limits. Please see specifications and instructions below.
A panel of art and design professionals along with community and design team representatives will select three (3) artists/artist teams for interviews based on the quality of
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submitted work samples (digital images)
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approach statement (50 words)
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résumé
The panel will select one artist/artist team to proceed into concept design in order to become part of the design team before developing an artwork proposal.
Out of region artists traveling to Seattle for an interview will be reimbursed for pre-approved travel costs including a per diem.
Sound Transit would like to keep all application materials as an in-house resource. Artists will be notified of future art opportunities, unless they request to be taken off the ST notice list, and will be given the option of using images on file as part of future selection processes. Artists desiring to have their materials returned should include a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE).
Background
Sound Transit is a regional transportation agency that is building a light rail system connecting downtown Seattle with Sea-Tac International Airport and the University of Washington (UW). The initial segment from the airport to downtown Seattle opens in 2009, with the Capitol Hill and UW Stations coming on-line in 2016.
Artists are encouraged to review the early submittal design drawings available below.
UW Station features:
- A single headhouse entry outside the entrance to Husky Stadium on Montlake Blvd, east of the UW Medical Center.
- 70% of the station users are expected to be commuting to and from the main campus northwest of the station. 30% of the transit riders will be riding light rail to the UW Medical Center immediately to the west.
- Light rail riders will reach the train platform primarily by a series of criss-crossing escalators and stairs, although elevators will also be available.
The public area of the station interior is organized into three primary zones:
- the Upper Mezzanine, connecting directly with the entrances above;
- the Lower Mezzanine and
- the Platform.
A feature wall will connect and participate in all three zones, and is intended to have a luminescent quality (i.e. at this time designed as laminated glass with a custom color interlayer). The material begins as a ceiling expression over the station entrance above, transitions into a vertical wall that extends through the Upper Mezzanine, becomes the west wall of the Lower Mezzanine vertical circulation zone, and emerges at the platform again as a ceiling. Its placement allows it to serve as a wayfinding marker associated with the vertical circulation. In addition to the feature wall, clarity of wayfinding is enhanced by the openness in the design, allowing maximum visibility of destinations.
Project Images and Plans
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Pedestrian Bridge Plan (pdf, 117kb) - plan view rendering of the pedestrian bridge over Montlake Blvd
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Aerial View (pdf, 146kb) - aerial rendering showing bridge and station in relation to Husky Stadium
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Station View (pdf, 146kb) - rendering of exterior streetscape
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Cross Section (pdf, 121kb) - cross-section views of the station, illustrating the three interior zones
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Model Cross Section (jpg, 79kb) - photograph of station model
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Longitudinal Section (pdf, 160kb) - elevation view of station's public spaces
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Station Interior (pdf, 143kb) - perspective view of station platform level
Neighborhood Character
The University of Washington, founded in 1861, sits on the shores of Lake Washington. Dubbed the 'University of a Thousand Years,' the "primary mission of the University of Washington is the preservation, advancement and dissemination of knowledge. As one of the nation's outstanding teaching and research institutions, the University is committed to maintaining an environment for objectivity and imaginative inquiry and for the original scholarship and research that ensure the production of new knowledge in the free exchange of diverse facts, theories and ideas." (UW Mission Statement). The UW Medical Center is among the top dozen medical centers in the United States as rated by U.S. News and World Report 2007 "America's Best Hospitals."
The University is surrounded by distinct neighborhoods, with many residents walking and biking to the station, and using the Burke-Gilman Trail.
Background Research Links
Artist Commissioning Criteria
The artist will be selected based on the following criteria:
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Quality and strength of past work as demonstrated in the submitted application materials. For light and technology based work special attention will be given to reliability and experience;
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Ability to create artwork appropriate in concepts, materials and scale for this underground light rail station that serves a university, medical center and quiet residential neighborhoods;
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Experience and preparation for projects of a comparable scope and budget;
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Availability to start design in April 2008 and incorporate appropriate details in construction documents by Spring 2009, as well as the ability to deliver completed artwork in 2016.
Eligibility
This project is open to established professional artists, with no geographic limits. Sound Transit staff, selection panel members, project personnel, and immediate family members of all of the above are not eligible to apply.
How to Apply
Please submit your images and documents as electronic files on a cd-rom. Applications must be received by Sound Transit at 401 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104 on or before 5:00 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, March 19, 2008.
Sound Transit has moved to a digital artist commissioning process. Our labeling and format specifications detailed below are required for the smooth management of the process in choosing the station artist, and for the fair consideration of all applications.
Please note:
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We do not have the capacity for uploading files or accepting e-mail submittals.
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Sound Transit will not modify any image or document files.
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Do not send PowerPoint presentations or images embedded within a slideshow or movie.
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Artists are discouraged from adding text to images and collaging multiple images into a single squeezed image.
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Do not send additional bulky materials or original artwork. They will not be viewed at this selection phase.
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If your artwork can only be fully understood through a short movie or audio file, please contact STart staff for further format instructions.
A properly completed application consists of a cd-rom that includes:
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No more than 20 images, named and formatted as noted below
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Annotated image list
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Approach Statment
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Artist Resume
Required Application Materials
The application CD, the Annotated Image List, Approach Statement and the Résumé must be labeled with the artist’s name and contact information, included on all pages of documents. Image files must be JPEGs with a .jpg ending. Documents must be Word (.doc) or Acrobat (.pdf) files.
Approach Statement:
Using fifty (50) words or less, in terms of your current art practice and how you approach new opportunities, provide a statement about what interests you most about working on this light rail station. The Approach Statement must be in MS Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf), labeled with the artist's last name and the designation "appr."
Example: Babuca_appr.doc or Babuca_appr.pdf
Artist Work Samples:
No more than 20 Digital Images in JPEG (.jpg) format (per Sound Transit formatting specifications below). Artists are encouraged to submit images of past work that best illustrate their qualifications for the project. If applying as a team, the team may submit no more than 20 images total.
Images must be submitted in .jpg format, labeled with the artist's last name, two-digit sequential number and project or artwork title. Images numbered 1-9 should include a leading zero (i.e. 01, 02, 03...10, 11, 12...).
Lastname_##_project.jpg
Examples:
Babuca_01_LunchBus.jpg
Babuca_12_STWave.jpg
Digital image formatting: Digital images will be projected using a device with optimal viewing of images sized at 1400 X 1050 ppi. Images must be a JPEG (.jpg) format with compression settings resulting in the best image quality under 2MB file size. Landscape oriented images should be 1400 pixels wide; portrait oriented images should be 1050 pixels tall.
NOTE: Images sized for WESTAF CaFÉ formatting requirements (1920 pixels square) will be accepted, however artists should note this may result in a less than optimal image for viewing on our equipment.
Annotated Image List:
The Annotated Image List is a document referencing the submitted images from the artist, corresponding to the projection order and the image name/number. Each entry should include the title of the artwork, medium, date of artwork, size and location. Artists are encouraged to include a brief description of their artwork so the panel may understand what your intentions are, how the art relates to the site and particularly how the image may relate to the UW Station.
The Annotated Image List must be in MS Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, labeled with the artist's last name and the designation "list."
Example: Babuca_List.doc or Babuca_List.pdf
Artist Resume:
Please include a current artist résumé, no longer than two (2) pages in length. For team applications please include résumés for each team member.
The Artist Resume must be in MS Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, labeled with the artist's last name and the designation "resume."
Example: Babuca_Resume.doc or Babuca_Resume.pdf
The Annotated Image List, Approach Statement and Resume will be printed out and collated for reference by panelists.
Deadline
Required materials must be received by Sound Transit no later than 5:00 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. Applications received after this time will not be considered.
Deliver or mail applications to:
Sound Transit Public Art
Attn: UW Station
401 S. Jackson St.
Seattle, WA 98104
Contact STart
For questions, please contact:
Barbara Luecke
barbara.luecke@soundtransit.org
206.398.5059
Jennifer Babuca
jennifer.babuca@soundtransit.org
206-398-5120
