Seattle Department of Transportation's university bridge residency 2023
Mariah Vicary
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Welcome
Hi, I’m Mariah. This is a website dedicated to documenting my unique opportunity to work and create from the Southeast control tower of the University Bridge in Seattle Washington from September through December of 2023. I am a generative artist who will be using different data visualization methods to explore historical data sets in partnership with The Seattle Department of Transportation dating back to 1919. This site will be updated regularly as I work and gather inspiration from the bridge, its surroundings, and history.
I’m passionate about helping people experience and appreciate technology and I’m hoping to use this opportunity to help show that data visualization can interpret and humanize statistics and connect us to our surroundings.
Bridge Safety Training!
Sep 8th 2021
A special thank you to Jeremy Beliveau from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Greg Silcox, Senior Operator Fremont Bridge (not pictured) for the amazing behind the scenes look at this amazing piece of machinery!
~1.5 Million lbs of steel
I was lucky enough to be inside the bridge for a demo opening yesterday! It was magnificent witnessing this every day occurrence from inside the beast. We learned that In 2014 its electronics were refitted.[7] During especially hot summer days, the University Bridge need daily dousings with cool water to avoid expanding so much that they bind.[8]
In 2021 during a record breaking heat wave the bridge got stuck open for over two hours due to expanding steel at the joints.
What struck me most was the elegant and quite reliability of a machine that has been opening approximately 15 times a day since it’s inaugural opening July 1st 1919.
- Coordinates: 47°39′11.1″N 122°19′12.4″W
- Carries: Eastlake Avenue
- Crosses: Portage Bay
- Design: Bascule Bridge
- Longest Span: 218 ft (66 m)
personal website
Showcasing my web development and creative coding endevours
My artist instagram where I have catalogued past work (I go by the pseudonym Fullmetal Algorist)
Vivian's Instagram
My fellow data visualization artist in residence who is located in the control tower of the Fremont bridge
Hi, I’m Mariah. This is a website dedicated to documenting my unique opportunity to work and create from the Southeast control tower of the University Bridge in Seattle Washington from September through December of 2023. I am a generative artist who will be using different data visualization methods to explore historical data sets in partnership with The Seattle Department of Transportation dating back to 1919. This site will be updated regularly as I work and gather inspiration from the bridge, its surroundings, and history.
To start my residency I will be spending Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays up in the bridge tower. I will be displaying some colorful real-time generative art via projector from the south window of the southeast tower of the bridge, starting at dusk on Thursdays and Fridays. This will be visible to passenger and car traffic traveling northbound. You can find more information about the artwork displayed and how I’m controlling it in the surrounding panels.
BZ reaction sketch controlled by Numark Orbit midi input in real-time using TouchDesigner.
Particle System controlled by LaunchControl XL midi input in real-time using TouchDesigner.
The tower by day
Portage bay is full of action no matter the time of day. Kayakers and rowers share space with pirates, as construction tugs ease alongside sailboats. All while an assortment of vehicles and pedestrians stream overhead seemingly unaware of the watery excitement down below.
- Then a taller ship will blow her horn and as the bridge rises to let her through everyone shares a moment of stillness.
- A few minutes and a chorus of gate chimes later, traffic flows again and the circle continues.
Hover over a carousel to pause and click an image to get a close up.
The tower by Night
Darkness falls and traffic dies down. It can feel a little isolated up in the tower at night and I empathize with the controllers in the north tower who are there every evening without fail. The occasional party boat drifts below and the last of the evening commuters struggle home.
- I've been lighting up the traffic facing windows on Thursdays and Fridays for the last month with some recent generative art and a projector, to add a bit of color and keep those stuck at bridge openings entertained.
- Check out a clip of the show below!
Generative Lightshow
As darkness has been falling earlier, more traffic has been present to witness my evening window performances. While working on data visualization (currently graphing salmon counts) I’ve also been able to control some live interactive visuals. Check out a clip from the bridge deck below!
