Client: Port of Seattle

Overview

“Cathedral,” created by the artist team Jacqueline Metz and Nancy Chew, for Seattle –Tacoma International Airport, was commissioned by Port of Seattle. This monumental project consists of a stained glass mural and a bronze sculpture which provides a vantage point for viewers to sit and reflect. The work draws on natural aspects of the local landscape and culture. In the artists words: “We were thinking about the Pacific Northwest, about the landscape and mythology of the temperate rain forest, about the delicacy, density, and majestic scale. The imagery refers to the unique rain forest of the pacific northwest, to sun through old growth forest, to the stained glass windows of a cathedral, drive-in movies, totem poles and driftwood on the beach.”

Goals

The goal was to create a space for quiet contemplation and meaningful social interaction. Metz & Chew provide a rich opportunity for people to simultaneously inhabit and contemplate a multi-faceted and transformative work of art, as peaceful and inspiring as the forest itself. Airports are often the first place visitors to a new city will see, sometimes the only part they will see as they pass through. The bronze driftwood situated in front of the glass mural, invites passersby to pause, sit and look up at the majestic imagery. For Metz & Chew: “It recalls days spent on the edge of the Pacific, leaning against driftwood on the beach, watching waves move towards shore, peaceful or wild. “ This welcoming work, offers a rest stop for travelers before they hurry off to their final destination.

Process

The artists worked directly with the Mayer of Munich team to produce this enduring work of art: exploring surface techniques, employing both manual and digital processes, and finalizing color choices to find exactly the right combination of techniques and processes to successfully translate the artists design concept and bring the project to completion. The mural consists of 18 panels of heat strengthened and laminated glass with UV resistant pure ceramic melting glass colors.

Additional Information

Jacqueline Metz and Nancy Chew are visual artists who have worked collaboratively since 1997. They met in at University of British Columbia, in 1986 and found they had common interests in architecture, public space, landscape and cultural thought. Their unique perspectives and collaborative approach come together to create an art practice that is conceptual yet grounded in place - a practice centerd on the public realm, an exploration of place and perception