Christine Bourdette: Yesler Terrace Park

Yesler Terrace Park, Seattle

In the summer of 2018, Christine Bourdette installed two public artworks titled Towers of Burble and Conversation Clusters in Yesler Terrace Park in Seattle, Washington. The Towers of Burble is an arrangement of nine sculptures made from layers of stacked granite and is located in the park’s central plaza. Designed with children and young families in mind, six of the sculptures are incorporated into a water fountain and play area. The public sculpture, which is inspired by the shape of vessels, baskets and stools, represents the communities and cultural traditions of the neighborhood near Yesler Terrace Park.

Similar to the Towers of Burble, the cultural backgrounds of area inhabitants inspired the design. Quotes and proverbs written in the variety of languages appear throughout the installation. The Conversation Clusters consists of layered stone seats and cast bronze stools located in small clusters throughout the park. The misaligned stone layers suggest that no community is perfectly composed.

Bourdette collaborated with Seattle based Site Workshop in the siting of the works and the plan development for the water feature. The project was commissioned by the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation 1% for Art Funds.

Image Credit: Bruce Tom