Gather

Lead Designers Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn

Entry Description

“Gather” is an elegant LED sculpture that celebrates the newly restored Fuller Garden Court at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The 1933 landmarked art deco building was renovated and expanded by LMN Architects in 2020, and the new plan restored the Court’s significance as the museum’s central hub. Suspended from the skylit ceiling, the 26 x 48 x 10 ft LED piece is light-weight yet bold in gesture, serving as a memorable canopy for events held in the 2300 sq ft Court while visually and thematically connecting the space to the museum’s collection in the adjacent galleries. Its design references both traditional Asian hand-crafts and textile design and modern-day mass-manufacturing practices and electronics. Made from 390 individual chip-on-board LED elements that are mass-produced in China, the artwork transforms everyday objects into an ethereal light sculpture. Its suspension-based construction and hash pattern is a nod to ikat weaving and sashiko sewing techniques. The cross-motif stands out in front of both light and dark backgrounds. Using gravity-based catenary curves to create its asymmetrical form, one end of the sculpture is gathered, echoing the flow of hanging fabric.