In 2009, Public Art 4culture commissioned artist Leo Berk to develop a public art ‘kit of parts’ for short span bridges in King County, WA.
Berk worked collaboratively with the King County Bridge Unit to understand the function of short span bridges and explore design possibilities for bridge elements.
His residency included an extended period of learning the culture of the Bridge Unit, work methods and safety conventions as well as time spent in the field with engineers, ecologists, and archeologists.
In design phase, Berk worked with Bridge Unit staff to identify materials and bridge elements that would be feasible to use and easy to install.
His final artwork uses off-the-shelf road safety material as a printing surface, reproducing photographic images that the artist took underneath bridges throughout the county. Artwork will be printed by the King County sign shop and installed by bridge contractors. z
The original estimate of prospective bridges was 57 short span bridges up to 60 feet long, to be implemented over 19 years. Since Berk’s design has been so well received by the Bridge Unit, bridges up to 100 feet have been included for consideration.z
The artist is currently creating the design handbook that will be used to source short span bridge artwork. Engineers will be able to choose from a menu of elements and designs for each project.z
Over the course of the residency Leo Berk posted to the 4culture blog about his experiences in the Bridge Unit and in the field. You’ll find three of those blogs plus posted throughout the week during the Blog Salon.
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