Seattle: built on bombers

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« Sleepy Urbanite | Main | Mimi Gates and the elusive Mongolian taimen »

Seattle: built on bombers

WhenSound Transit art manager Barbara Luecke saw Mike Ross's "Big Rig Jig" at Burning Man, she asked him if he'd like to do a project in Seattle. The Brooklyn sculptor had turned two 18-foot tanker trucks into truck yoga or maybe a single sci-fi worm. Either way, his tankers had left the road to lift off as spectacle.

Mike Ross, "Big Rig Jig"

Fast forward a couple of years. Ross is on the verge of being tapped to create a signature sculpture for the upcoming Sound Transit Capitol Hill station. He's not thinking trucks. (Once you've bent big ones backward, the thrill is gone.) Instead, he proposes to float the skinned carcasses of two fighter jets.

But wait. An indignant group of Capitol Hill's finest object. They don't object to Ross's aesthetics. They say no to his materials. No fighter jets on Capitol Hill. Even if the planes are shadows of themselves, Capitol Hill wants to know where they've been. Peace now means take your wounded war planes elsewhere.

If it needs a theme song, Capitol Hill can follow the bouncing ball and sing along with the Guess Who: "I don't need your war machine. I don't need your ghetto scene. Colored lights can hynotize. Sparkle someone else's eyes."

It's amazing what gets said with a straight face standing in a Jet City neighborhood. Remember the Sonics? Who were they named for? (Think boom.) Seattle wasn't built on rock 'n' roll. Boeing built it with proceeds from war machines. When two ghostly jets want to head home, who are we to bar the door?

Ross will be in town June 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m. to try to sell himself to the wary: Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave. Helping him go over will be Seattle graphic art star Ellen Forney, tapped to do murals in the station.

(I want the station to have her hands. Love the hands.)

On Capitol Hill, Forney's a rock star. By standing next to Ross, she'll make him look good. If that fails, he could be out of here. Sound Transit is not prepared for pickets.

Posted by at May 30, 2008 7:34 p.m.

Comments

#134421

Posted by Soul not sold to Road Warriors at 5/31/08 12:30 a.m.

The BigRig Jig piece is obviously a glorification of large SUV's, the burning of oil, and overseas wars fought for oil.

As such, I am totally appalled...APPALLED..that the Seattle PI would have the audacity to print such outrageous warmongering propaganda.

We sensitive Capitol Hill peoples are against that kind of stuff.

Tell George W Ross to take his Big Rigs, Jet Fighters and other pro-war propaganda, and put it in a pipe to smoke.

Now that I'm done with my moral and civic duty, let's all jump into our oil-dripping vw's, and drive to the mall to pick up a couple new modems. We totally need some new modems from Frye's. Old one is the wrong color. Did you hear they have 'em in pink?

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#134600

Posted by sharonarnold at 5/31/08 7:36 p.m.

They don't object to Ross's aesthetics. They say no to his materials. No fighter jets on Capitol Hill.

Reduce, re-use, recycle?

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#134638

Posted by legion at 5/31/08 11:07 p.m.

warmongering propaganda? pick your battles, pick your battles, pick your baaaaattles, clementiiiine. jesus christ.

reduse, re-use, recycle certainly sooner fits in this situation.

call me insensitive, but to call that art "warmongering propaganda" is pure unmitigated hysteria. and it makes people left of center look dumb.

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#134639

Posted by ruby re-usable at 5/31/08 11:15 p.m.

Jet City? The Sonics who? Try the Emerald City: Go Green!

Seattle was saved by rock 'n roll ... there are other objects and materials one can work with in the name of "reduce, re-use, recycle," and other sites that can accommodate repurposed war machines (like those submarine fins by John Young at Magnuson Park)

why fighter jets on Capitol Hill? come on Regina, you've posted about war and peace before, we need to glorify Peace more!

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#134709

Posted by unregistered user at 6/1/08 12:08 p.m.

I feel sad reading some of this. Maybe a little hopeless. I don't know how this decision should be made or by whom it should be made. I favor peace as much as the next guy - but I don't see how it is glorified by the suppression of imagery which holds the truth of our present situation. I think turning away, covering our eyes, humming "lalala" will not stop the bombs from being dropped. We have much to grieve. I long for the day when it is not important to remember this time.

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