Wild Utopias with Susan Robb
Join us in this episode to fly away with Seattle artist Susan Robb, whose work is often both ephemeral and monumental.
Susan speaks with Edward about her subversive multi-media art practices (encompassing sculpture, photography, video, performance, and interventions) in both Seattle and Tacoma, and her artistic project to articulate and represent our emotional connection to place. Her public sculpture Parking Squid, commissioned by the Seattle Department of Transportation and installed at the Seattle Waterfront in 2012 (and since moved to Ballard), combines functional art (bicycles could be tethered to one of the squid’s tentacles) with an evocation of the mysterious creatures lurking in the depths of Puget Sound. Before today’s massive Waterfront redevelopment, the sculpture invited interaction with both city street and natural environment. Be inspired by Susan’s thoughtful engagement with development, regional history, homelessness, and climate change, crystallized in her place-making projects.
We record on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples.
The views expressed in this podcast series are those of the guests and reflect their personal lived experiences. Power of Place presents oral histories with real people, and while some opinions may be controversial, they are shared as authentic expressions that honor the complexity of place. Conversations are edited for length and clarity, but otherwise remain unedited to preserve context and substance. Listener discretion is advised.
“Whose Seattle is this? Do we have a right to our past?”
