L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 36 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY T his October, two s i t e - s p e c i f i c installations by I t a l i a n a r t i s t s were unveiled in some of Seattle's most high- ly trafficked areas. I n t h e n e w R o o s e v e l t Station, which opened to riders October 1 as part of the expanded Sound Transit s y s t e m , N e w Y o r k - b a s e d artist Luca Buvoli has cre- ated an energetic and color- f u l d e p i c t i o n o f a b s t r a c t bicycle and running images. A c r o s s t o w n , i n t h e n e w s p o r t s a r e n a a t S e a t t l e Center, Seattle artist Iole Alessandrini has designed a playful interactive light i n s t a l l a t i o n b a s e d o n t h e mythology of the Raven. The long-awaited Climate Pledge Arena opens in late October, p o s t p o n e d f r o m l a s t D e c e m b e r b e c a u s e o f t h e pandemic. S e a t t l e h a s l o n g b e e n known for its commitment to public art and to art in p u b l i c s p a c e s . N e a r l y 5 0 years ago, it was one of the first cities in the country to adopt a one-percent-for-art ordinance. This means that 1 % o f e l i g i b l e c a p i t a l - improvement project funds are set aside to commission, buy and install art in a vari- ety of settings – from parks and libraries to roads and bridges. Other art around town is privately commis- s i o n e d a n d i n s t a l l e d i n a h i g h - v i s i b i l i t y l o c a t i o n , m a d e a v a i l a b l e f o r a l l t o enjoy. I o l e A l e s s a n d r i n i : i n t e r p l a y o f l i g h t a n d space I o l e A l e s s a n d r i n i w a s born in Abruzzo and moved to Rome when she was two. She relocated to Seattle in 1 9 9 4 t o a t t e n d t h e University of Washington, where she earned her sec- o n d m a s t e r ' s d e g r e e i n architecture (the first from S a p i e n z a U n i v e r s i t y o f Rome), and has remained there ever since. Creatively, she is fascinat- ed by the interplay between l i g h t a n d s p a c e , a n d h e r complex site-specific instal- lations often use controlled e n v i r o n m e n t s t o e x p l o r e t h e s e t w o e l e m e n t s . S h e s o m e t i m e s a d d s v i d e o , m u s i c o r c o m p u t e r i z e d sound to create an intense personal experience that is unique yet fleeting. Her latest commission at Climate Pledge Arena, which opens in late October, pro- vides a meditative gathering space. Called The Raven and the Light, this interac- tive display was inspired by the Raven, a mystical crea- ture of great significance. In the Bible, Noah released a Raven to find a landing site after the great flood but the bird never returned. A con- stellation called corvus or "The Raven" goes back to ancient Greek and Roman times. To some, the Raven is a t r i c k s t e r a n d a s h a p e - shifter, the quintessential a c t o r , s o t h e l o c a t i o n o f A l e s s a n d r i n i ' s a r t i n t h e green room in the arena's southeast plaza - tradition- ally a lounge area for per- formers - is the perfect spot. The installation incorpo - r a t e s a 1 4 - f o o t d a r k - g r a y stone that sits flush with the floor, acting as a stage. Its RITA CIPALLA angled lines of color-chang- ing light punctuate the stone b a s e l i k e s t r e e t l i g h t s . Illuminated benches invite visitors to sit and enjoy the interplay between the Raven and the Light, using an app available on their phones to map the trajectory of the Raven constellation. "I hope the Raven and the Light will enchant arena vis- itors with a simple display of light and abstract shapes as they wait for a game or a concert," said Alessandrini, "but it also promises a deep- er reward for those who fol- low the path of lights and look up at the sky, using the phone app. I wanted people to be moved physically and emotionally with this work." A l e s s a n d r i n i h a s b e e n creating art in the Pacific N o r t h w e s t f o r s e v e r a l d e c a d e s . I n 2 0 1 5 , s h e received a commission from the city of Edmonds, Wash., to create a work along the 4th Avenue "cultural corri- dor." The resulting work, Luminous Forest, con- sisted of solar LED lights embedded in the roadway, visually connecting the cor- ridor at night and evoking t h e l a r g e t r e e s t h a t o n c e lined the city streets – a nod to the region's forests and logging history. At a cost exceeding $1 bil- l i o n , t h e C l i m a t e P l e d g e Arena is home to the Seattle Kraken, the city's new pro- fessional hockey team, and the WNBA's Seattle Storm, as well as the site of concerts a n d o t h e r m a j o r e v e n t s . Built as part of a partner- s h i p b e t w e e n O a k V i e w G r o u p a n d t h e C i t y o f S e a t t l e , d e v e l o p e r s w e r e charged with reimagining and redeveloping the his- toric arena built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair while paying respect to the indige- n o u s l a n d s o f t h e C o a s t Salish people upon which it sits. Luca Buvoli: inspired by Italian Futurism L u c a B u v o l i , b o r n i n Brescia in 1963, works in animated film and video, s c u l p t u r e , p a i n t i n g , a n d d r a w i n g . H e i n t e r t w i n e s mythology, science, and ide- o l o g y w i t h h i s d o w n - t o - earth perspective and a dash o f h u m o r . H i s e n e r g e t i c i n s t a l l a t i o n a t S o u n d T r a n s i t ' s n e w R o o s e v e l t Station, entitled Mo-Mo- Motion, uses bold, graphic artwork that suggests run- ners and cyclists in motion. The pathway of Buvoli's bike and runner images is strate- gically positioned to guide p a s s e n g e r s f r o m t h e s t a - tion's exterior to the under- ground platform. Buvoli's art is inspired in large part by film and the Italian Futurism movement. Mo-Mo-Motion is a continu- ation of his larger body of work that centers on people and objects in motion. He has exhibited internationally for more than 30 years, with solo shows at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. (2020), Philadelphia Museum of Art (2001), and t h e M . I . T . L i s t C e n t e r i n Cambridge, Mass. (2000). He has also contributed to g r o u p s h o w s i n B e r l i n , Venice, and South Africa, among other locations. A Fulbright Fellow who lives in New York, Buvoli has received many grants and awards. His work is in t h e c o l l e c t i o n s o f t h e Museum of Modern Art and G u g g e n h e i m M u s e u m , t o name a few. Currently, he is the director of the Mount Royal School of Art, a multi- disciplinary graduate pro- g r a m a t t h e M a r y l a n d I n s t i t u t e C o l l e g e o f A r t (MICA) in Baltimore. Buvoli's bold artwork, a sliver seen at far left, helps guide passengers from the light rail station's exterior to the underground platform (Photo courtesy of Sound Transit) Sound Transit and Seattle Center unveil new art installations Iole Alessandrini's newest work is a light installation created for the southeast plaza of the new Climate Pledge Arena (Photo courtesy of Iole Alessandrini)

• Cover