Conceptual Framework

The Great Streets Art Elements Plan is composed of art organized through a “System of Conductors” that is activated by a variety of inspirational energies called “Catalysts of Flow.”

SYSTEM OF CONDUCTORS. The “System of Conductors” locates art in specific downtown locations and links specific typologies to those locations. The spine of this System is a network of typological “Circuits,” or strands of art. These are punctuated by special art events referred to as “Nodes,” “Interfaces,” and “Synapses.”

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Pedestrian route connecting City Hall, Downtown, Down-town Park, and the Waterfront, passing through significant areas and intersecting other art circuits and art events:

BELLEVUESQUARE

NE 4TH STREET

NE 6TH STREET

NE 8TH STREET

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CIVIC CIRCUIT

ART WALK CIRCUIT

WATER CIRCUIT

SHOPPING CIRCUIT

LANDSCAPE CIRCUIT

ENTERTAINMENT CIRCUIT

COMMERCE CIRCUIT

Integrated and/or functional art that elicits or responds to a specific typology, as color-coded below:

CIRCUITS OF ART:

BRIDGE SYNAPSES:

Pedestrian overpasses at mid-block crossings, designed as artworks or to include artworks that are activated by the motion of pedestrians or cars, and/or digital information.

ART INTERFACES:

Signature integrated art projects occurring at places of contact and transfer between the various Circuits of art that run through them.

Background color indicates specific tYPOLOGY of art (landscape, water, shopping, entertainment, commerce, civic) that is amplified at each interface.

ART NODES:

Integrated or stand-alone art projects. Color indi-cates specific typology of art (landscape, water, shopping, entertainment, commerce, civic). Nodes with black rings indicate future projects. Nodes with red rings indicate existing projects.

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“Circuits” consist of linear bands or repetitive elements of integrated art running primarily through the signature street corridors, in which an artist takes a functional piece of the streetscape, such as sidewalk paving or pedestrian lighting, and treats it artistically. Art developed under the guise of “Circuits” will be design team collaborations and/or part of the Great Streets Toolkit. These interventions are generally smaller in terms of their visual impact as art, although the messages they communicate can be quite profound.

A different typology, or theme, characterizes each Circuit: water, landscape, shopping, entertainment, commerce, and civic. The typologies are linked to contextual conditions and the art on each Circuit elicits or responds to its theme. The Circuits intersect, run parallel, intertwine, and build upon each other. One unique Circuit, the Art Walk (further described in the Art Typology section), crosses all the other typological Circuits and passes through many of the Interface project areas.

“Nodes” are stand-alone or integrated art projects, either artist-implemented or design team collaborations. Each Art Node explores and highlights a single typology within the System of Conductors (water, landscape, shopping, entertainment, commerce, and civic). They occur along the Art Walk as well as at other discrete locations that are part of or adjacent to the streetscape. Key existing art projects already serve as Nodes to be built upon in weaving the System of Conductors.

“Interfaces” are major artworks at significant street intersections, to be realized through design team collaborations. They occur at gathering spaces where various Circuits intersect and are conceived as couplers and jumpers, places of transfer between the different

typologies of the Circuits. At each Interface one typology is dominant. The Interface artworks should be at a scale large enough to be perceived by both vehicular passengers and pedestrians. The Art Walk runs through many of the Interfaces.

“Synapses” are a special category of art that applies to the pedestrian bridges planned for NE 4th and 8th Streets. These artworks will be lighting and/or electronic based and are not necessarily linked with the specific themes that identify the Circuits, Interfaces, and Nodes.

CATALYSTS OF FLOW. Walking through downtown Bellevue today, with its scaffolding, cranes, and buildings rising up all around, it is apparent that the city is in transition. A sense of dynamic energy pulses through downtown. To tap into this energy, art projects resulting from the Great Streets Art Elements Plan shall incorporate various media that embody a quality of “flow,” creating responsive environments that elucidate the flow of people, nature, technology, information, and transportation that characterizes downtown.

Whereas the “System of Conductors” locates the art in specific downtown locations and links specific themes to those locations, the “Catalysts of Flow” are the media that activate the art. If the System of Conductors is conceived as the hardware, the Catalysts of Flow are its software: the System of Conductors promote and channel the Catalysts of Flow. The incorporation of these phenomena of Flow will create a lens to the universal. They will act as catalysts that supercharge the art and connect the real place to aesthetic revelation, allowing the artworks to exist “in the present moment” into the future through their continuously transforming physical manifestations.

The Catalysts of Flow include:• Water (manifestations of water in its different states, different surface appearances, and different rates)• Seasonal Change (compositions of plants with changing colors, density, texture, and size)• Light (illuminations of artificial, solar-powered, and natural light emphasizing brightness, color, reflectivity, and interactivity)• Sound (audio soundscapes of artificial and natural sound amplified, distorted, recontextualized, and made interactive)• Pedestrian Motion (kinetic expressions of walking that tap into pedestrian cycles of work and leisure, street interactions, and social behavior)• Vehicular Motion (kinetic expressions of vehicle movements that respond to speed, perception when moving, and stop-and-go rhythms)• Performance (temporary, staged, and non-staged performances and celebrations of events that are people-activated, culturally diverse, and unite

the community)• Speech (gatherings and assemblies of the community activated by dialogue and public speaking)• Time (temporal activations and fluctuations expressed by momentary changes as well as diurnal, seasonal, and annual cycles)• Virtual Space and Technology (cultural shifts of technology revealed through public interactions, networks, and cellular phones)

CITY IN A PARK. Bellevue’s motto as the “City in a Park” is reinforced in the art plan through a series of Nodes in the Landscape Typology around the perimeter of downtown. These act as gateways into and out of the city and might include larger elements such as earthworks and vine portals. This landscape-based art emphasizes the use of landscape materials and processes in interesting and unexpected ways while also tying into “green” landscape practices.

catalysts of flow

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ART WALK

RouteThe Art Walk begins at City Hall, runs down NE 6th Street to the Bellevue Art Museum, turns south down Bellevue Way, and leads to Downtown Park. From here it leaves the Great Streets study area. However, it could continue into the Park past the historic monuments in the central lawn, then weave through old Bellevue to culminate at Meydenbauer Bay Park and Lake Washington.

ConceptsWhile the Art Walk crosses all the other Typological Circuits, it is especially linked with and runs parallel to the Water Circuit. The art along this circuit activates the passage from downtown to the waterfront through the use of water, reinforcing Bellevue’s relationship to Lake Washington and its identity as a “waterfront city.” The Art Walk becomes a directional, wayfinding device, flowing downhill to the lake.

TOOLKIT ART ELEMENTS. In addition to the art along the Art Walk that falls under the various thematic Typologies described in this section, the Art Walk is also characterized by a series of signature artist-designed functional streetscape elements that occur only along its route. These elements, described in the Great Streets Toolkit, include artist-designed water runnels, drinking fountains, benches, and pedestrian lights; as well as special paving at major pedestrian intersections where art Interfaces occur.

intersection of NE 6th Street and 110th Avenue NE, looking southeast to City Hall

existing pedestrian corridor on NE 6th Street, between 108th and 110th Avenues NE

NE 6th Street, between Bellevue Way and 108th Avenue NE , with Bellevue Art Museum on right

Bellevue Way at NE 6th Street, in front of Bellevue Square

Downtown Park with historic monuments in central lawn

Bellevue Art Museum entry on Bellevue Way

existing special paving at pedestrian intersection at the corner of Bellevue Way and NE 6th Street A

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WATER TYPOLOGY

© 2003 Buster Simpson, Beckoning Cistern: captured stormwater held in cistern and redirected to plants

© 2004 Nobuho Nagasawa, Seeding Time: interactive irrigation water

© 2003 Laura Haddad, Undercurrents: stormwater channeled through sculptural paving features

© 1995 Kathryn Gustafson, Court of Appeals: runnels with inserts that activate water

Ancient Moorish garden runnel: sculptural tree wells fed by runnels replace tree grates

© 2005 Nobuho Nagasawa, Water Weaving Light Cycle: water expressed through light

Cobblestone paving at Rossio Square, Lisbon: water expressed through paving pattern

© 2007 Haddad|Drugan, Botanica: sculptural drainpipe transports water

Concepts Art in the Water Typology will make water more visible through its integration into multiple systems, including stormwater, irrigation water, drinking water, water fountains, and water paths—when possible combining several of these systems. The art will collect water, release water, and channel water. It will create experiences of hearing water, walking through water, and swimming in water. In places where “real” water is not possible, water can be simulated through paving, lighting, electronic and other media arts.

CIRCUITS. Water Circuits occur along multiple downtown street corridors and in Downtown Park. Their area of emphasis runs parallel to the Art Walk. Water Circuits art is focused primarily on using stormwater and irrigation water both functionally and artistically, and might include: sculptural awnings, roof gutters, and drainpipes integrated into building facades that channel stormwater; runnels in sidewalks, planter strips, and medians that activate stormwater; irrigation expressed artistically; and artist-designed drinking fountains that could also act as supplemental irrigation.

The Water Circuits running down NE 6th Street, as well as NE 4th and NE 8th Streets, take advantage of the topography falling to the west, thus facilitating the movement of water. Being vehicular-oriented, NE 4th and 8th Streets present opportunities for stormwater-based art to tap into the speed and motion of cars to reveal the dynamic motion and energy of the city’s growth.

NODES. Water Nodes occur along Bellevue Way at the NE 4th and 6th Street intersections, and at the west end of Main Street. These are envisioned as fountains that combine sculpture, water, light (and other Catalysts of Flow) to express aspects of their context. The Water Node marking the park entry at the intersection of Bellevue Way and NE 4th Street connects the city’s commerical energy with its natural energy through the element of water.

INTERFACES. A Water Interface occurs on the south side of Downtown Park. It combines Water and Landscape Typologies, with an emphasis on Water, for instance a sculptural cistern that collects water and channels it to a rain garden.A

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LANDSCAPE TYPOLOGY

Concepts Art in the Landscape Typology uses plants and earthwork to express conceptual and formal ideas such as cultural patterns, historic moments, and ecological principles. The art might include painterly use of plant colors, textures, fragrances, and seasonal effects; and sculptural pots, trellises, and green walls.

Art with a Landscape Typology is well represented in the Great Streets art plan. A primary component is a series of green gateways ringing the perimeter of downtown (where more space is available) that emphasize the “City in a Park” theme.

CIRCUITS. Landscape Circuits occur along various downtown street corridors, primarily in planter strips and medians, with areas of emphasis on parts of Bellevue Way, NE 6th Street, and NE 4th Street along Downtown Park. A Landscape Circuit also characterizes Main Street, with a goal of forming a strong green edge between downtown and the residential neighborhood to the south, while also emphasizing the Lake-to-Lake Trail of which Main Street will be a part.

NODES. Landscape Nodes are gateway elements, primarily along the perimeter of downtown. They should be of a scale where they can be perceived from passing cars as well as by pedestrians, and might include: planted earthworks, large swaths of distinct plantings, topiary or sculptures with vines growing over them, and other types of green portals.

A primary location for a Landscape Node is the WSDOT-owned cloverleaf at the intersection of NE 8th Avenue and I-405, the major gateway and entry into downtown Bellevue. Here the cloverleaf ramps form four large landscape areas. Some contain detention basins, but

all afford ample space for large earthworks or monumental pieces. Any artwork placed here must maintain storm water detention functions and require little or no additional maintenance beyond WSDOT’s normal mowing. Other locations for Landscape Nodes occur at the base of City Hall on NE 4th Avenue, the Main Street bridge over I-405, the north end of Bellevue Way, and the intersections of 100th Avenue NE at NE 4th and 8th Streets.

INTERFACES. Landscape Interfaces are place-making artworks at three major intersections near Downtown Park. While art for these intersections will likely include special paving, a landscape theme should be expressed, either through the paving pattern or additional planted/sculptural/earthwork elements that might express other relevant typologies such as Water or Shopping.

Special emphasis should be given to the Landscape Interface at the intersection of Bellevue Way and NE 4th Street, as it is along the Art Walk and the primary link between Downtown Park and the urban streetscape of downtown.

sculpture as vine trellis

© 1980 Andrew Leicester, Cloverleaf: earthwork as monumental gateway

Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge: green gateway over I-405

© 1997 Robert Irwin, Central Garden: sculpture as vine trellis

© 2003 Klein Dytham, Green Green Screen: planted wall © 1999 Buster Simpson, Growing Vine Street: utilitarian surprises and micro ecosystems

unknown artist: lighting dramatizes plantings © 2005 Ann Chamberlain, Golden Gate Park Basket Pattern Earthwork: plantings in cultural patterns

© 1994 Jenny Holzer, Black Garden: plantings with bands of color

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SHOPPING TYPOLOGY

Concepts Art in the Shopping Typology is focused on Bellevue Way, reinforcing its designation as a “shopping street” in the Bellevue Downtown Plan. The Shopping Typology also occurs along Main Street in old Bellevue, another retail destination.

Since Bellevue Way also includes the Bellevue Art Museum, art within the Shopping Typology may include aspects of display and exhibition, as well as the shopping experience of seeing and being seen. The art might incorporate reflective materials that draw on shop mirrors, and “art windows” in storefronts and sidewalks with both permanent and temporary displays. Another way to manifest the Shopping Circuit is through art masquerading as signage.

CIRCUITS. Shopping Circuits extend along Bellevue Way from NE 10th Street to Main Street, passing by Bellevue Square; and along Main Street from 106th Avenue NE, extending west through the heart of the historic district. Art along the Shopping Circuit could be integrated into sidewalk corridors, as well as building facades and canopies. Particularly in the vicinity of Bellevue Square, art could occur in the guise of sidewalks designed as fashion runways. Seating spaces and pedestals in the streetscape could be designed as places to see and be seen.

NODES. A Shopping Node is located at the intersection of Bellevue Way and NE 10th Street. Art here should act as a gateway into the shopping district. It could incorporate many of the ideas described above, but at a larger scale that can be perceived from a vehicle.

INTERFACES. A Shopping Interface occurs at the intersection of Bellevue Way and NE 6th Street. As a nexus of multiple conditions and Circuits, this Interface threads the main pedestrian spine of the Art Walk through the Bellevue Art Museum entry, Bellevue Square entry, and Westin Hotel entry. There is an opportunity for art to seize the focused pedestrian crossing, and possibly engage in the redesign of Bellevue Square’s entry plaza, which visually anchors NE 6th Street. The art Interface could include paving that acts as a foreground for shopping, and emphasizes relationships of seeing and being seen.

A second Shopping Interface is located along Main Street in the heart of old Bellevue. This piece could mark linkages between current and historic retail operations, as well as the elements of landscape and water that characterize its nearby context.

© 2004 Anish Kapoor, Cloud Gate: signature sculpture with reflectivity and interaction speaks to the phenomenon of “see and be seen”

© 2006 Olafur Eliasson, Eye See You: shop windows house art

© 2006 Rebecca Hackemann, Peek: shop windows as art © 2007 Jenny Holzer, For MCASD and © 1967 Jenny Holzer, The True Artist Helps the World by Revealing Mystic Truths: artist-designed signage speaks to themes of display and consumerism

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ENTERTAINMENT TYPOLOGY

Concepts Art in the Entertainment Typology is focused on 106th Avenue NE, reinforcing its designation as the “entertainment street” in the Downtown Plan. It also occurs on adjacent legs of NE 6th Street and NE 10th Street.

Throughout the entertainment district the streetscape is conceived as outdoor theater, with pedestrians acting as both the performers and audience, and the art activated by human interaction.

CIRCUITS. Art along the Entertainment Circuit includes enhancements to standard streetscape elements like sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, and planting. Paving is treated like a stage, with integrated interactive elements of electronic and sculptural media, and theatrical lighting that turns landscape into a stage set.

NODES. Entertainment Nodes are located in front of the future Performing Arts Center Eastside and Bellevue Art Museum. These might use various entertainment media such as electronic music players, wireless access to artworks, sound and light shows, and projections; or include kiosks that unfold to become temporary theater spaces that could be programmed by PACE or BAM. Entertainment Nodes might also include a continuously changing series of temporary artworks integrated into sidewalks, plazas, and building facades.

INTERFACES. The Entertainment Interface at the intersection of 106th Avenue NE and NE 6th Street has the potential to be the landmark, signature place that identifies Bellevue. It is in the center of downtown, and at the base of NE 6th Street’s pedestrian staircase. It could build upon Compass Plaza and the existing water and kinetic art pieces already located here. Multiple Circuits, including the Art Walk, Entertainment, Water, and Landscape Circuits, intersect at this Interface, setting up a scenario for the joint performance of culture and nature through art that is activated by natural forces such as rain and plants, cultural forces such as people and performance, and artificial media such as lighting and electronic-based artwork.

© 2007 Dan Corson, Luminous Conjunction: theatrically-lit trees

© 1998 Martha Schwartz, Flying Saucer Grove: paving and lighting as outdoor theater © 2004 Chris Salter, Erik Adigard, Mathew Biederman, Gregory Cowley, chronopolis and © 1982 Jack Mackie, Dance Steps on Broadway: interactive paving, both electronically and physically activated

© 1986 Jenny Holzer, Truisms: temporary art enlivens the street

© 1993 Jorg Joppien, Grid Iron and © 2006 Brut Deluxe Arquitectos, Kiosco m.poli: artist-designed kiosks unfold into temporary stages

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DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE STREETSCAPE PLANBellevue Great Streets 2007 HADDAD|DRUGANnovember 2007

COMMERCE TYPOLOGY

Concepts Art in the Commerce Typology is focused on 108th Avenue NE, between NE 8th Street and NE 2nd Street. This reinforces the designation of 108th Avenue NE, the central locus for Bellevue’s burgeoning business community, as the “commerce street” in the Downtown Plan.

Art themes tying into the Commerce Typology could include international languages, currency, technology and devices that characterize business. A fascinating aspect of the district, which art may draw on, is the phenomenon of waves of people moving through the streetscape during commuting times at the beginning and end of the workday, as well as at lunchtime.

Throughout the commerce district art might use materials that acknowledge business’ interests in stability, solidity, and permanence.

CIRCUITS. The Commerce Circuit along 108th Avenue NE shall include art integrated into sidewalks and building facades. Art in the sidewalks might reflect the pulsing streams of pedestrians and the coinciding streams of information and transportation that flow through the commerce district.

NODES. Commerce Nodes, such as that located at the intersection of 108th Avenue NE and NE 2nd Street, might include sculpture that explores business devices and themes. Additional Commerce Nodes could be incorporated into plazas, entries, lobbies and elevators of key office buildings along 108th Avenue NE.

INTERFACES. The Art Interface at the intersection of 108th Avenue NE and NE 6th Street, focusing on the west side of 108th, is at the high point of downtown Bellevue. This Interface transitions between Circuits of Business, Water, and Landscape, and is an important point along the Art Walk. Art here can act as a conceptual “headwaters” that describes the flow of water and people west down NE 6th, toward the waterfront. The art could consist of either real or virtual water. This location might also include an artist-designed “outdoor conference/garden room” that ties together themes of business and landscape, again reinforcing the notion of Bellevue as the “City in a Park.”

© 2005 Thomas Laureyssens, Pedestrian Levitation: art that reflects streams of information and workiers

© 2004 Jaume Plensa, Crown Fountain: art as headwaters

© 1995 Richard Turner, Untitled: art as outdoor conference room

© 2001 Brad Miller, 50,000 Pennies, © 2001 Brad Miller, Elevator Life, © 1997 Janet Zweig, Your Voices, © 2004 Jenny Holzer, Departures Board, © 2004 Ann Hamilton, Floor of Babble: art about the international languages, currencies, technologies, and devices of business

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CIVIC TYPOLOGY

ConceptsA Civic theme starts at City Hall and continues north on 110th Avenue NE, passing by Meydenbauer Center and the Bravern Complex, and ending at the Bellevue Regional Library. Art with this theme could express processes such as public collection, distribution, consumption and management of information and resources, as well as emphasize significant historic and cultural moments of Bellevue.

© 2006 Linda Beaumont, Current: art at Bellevue City Hall recalls a nearby underground river and references the river of infrastructure that is elemental to the workings within City Hall

CIRCUITS. Art along the Civic Circuit includes enhancements to standard streetscape elements like sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, and planting. It begins in City Hall at the existing integrated paving artwork Current, which references the river of infrastructure that is elemental to the workings of City Hall. Conceptually, this “river of infrastructure” could continue to move down the streetscape of 100th Avenue NE as the Civic Circuit.

NODES. Several Civic Nodes exist at City Hall, and in front of the Bellevue Regional Library at the intersection of 110th Avenue NE and NE 10th Street. An additional Civic Node is proposed for NE 10th Street in front of the offices and retail stores that comprise the Bravern Complex. This piece could draw on themes specific to Bellevue and its environs, potentially tying together aspects of public and private civic life.

INTERFACES. The Civic Interface at the intersection of 110th Avenue NE and NE 10th Street, in front of the library, has the potential to link the growing arts district focused around NE 10th Street, the storehouse of public knowledge represented by the library, and the governmental functions stemming from City Hall. This interface overlaps civic themes and entertainment themes, suggeting a scenario where art heightens pereception of the performance of public life.

© 2007 Dan Corson, The Root: art at Bellevue City Hall metaphorically speaks of exposing the hidden infrastructure (hidden roots) of the city and relates to historical and ecological roots of the city

© 2005 Mags Harries and Lajos Heder, Arbors and Ghost Trees: tractor seats at a bus stop recall a community’s agricultural past

© 1995 Buster Simpson, Nursery Planter Boxes: street trees in planters based on historic tree crates recall a community’s agricultural past

© 1977 Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, Centre Georges Pompidou: infrastructure on exterior building surfaces metaphorically alludes to the interconnectedness of civic systems and transparency of public institutions

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DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE STREETSCAPE PLANBellevue Great Streets 2007 HADDAD|DRUGANnovember 2007