My partner and I both really love the tree!

Heh. I think the park and the lid on the substation are somewhat of an architectural success, of which there aren't a whole lot in this town. I don't think the substation itself is even in there yet is it? When I peeked under the lid it looked like empty space. I'd say that snazzy metal shell added a good deal to the cost of the project. Hope they are making Amazon foot the bill (probably not).

I like it. And the building too. They both make me take notice every time I pass them on my walk to work.

I think it will grow on us over time. In 20 or 30 years, it'll be a beloved landmark.

That's a lot of words to justify "I don't like or understand this art, so it's bad"

Not all art it good, but this is at least interesting and for some people it's kind of cool. My wife and I walked over to see what it was and then walked around the future substation, which I think looks pretty decent. Is it my favorite piece of public art? No. But it's interesting and not repulsive IMO.

Oh, and the author threw enough shade to make up for the lifetime of this tree. Sadly he released a lot of hot CO2 in the process...

Hoo boy. Lots of Cascade history was overlooked in the writing of this piece. The most egregious oversight is saying it was "first settled by the Denny family." No. The Duwamish were already living there when the Denny clan arrived. They were subsequently pushed out and then fucked over when the feds failed to honor the Treaty of Point Elliott. Let's get that straight.

Another point worth noting: "South Lake Union" wasn't really a thing until Vulcan redeveloped the area. It was all just Cascade. Cascade remains the official City of Seattle name for the area, though obviously SLU's glass and steel high-rises make it distinct from the old neighborhood (what remains, anyway).

Now that I've got that off my chest... I'm ambivalent about Transforest, but I generally think it is good art because it provokes thought.

Is it supposed to be emblematic of the trees that once stood there before Denny milled them and nature was consumed by industry? Maybe. Maybe it is also a thank-you to the natural forces that are the source of Seattle's clean energy (and the transmission towers that bring it to us). Maybe it is also an attempt to show that even when we alter our natural environment, we can still find beauty in similar, man-made forms springing from industry.

There's lots of meaning to interpret. I'm not bothered by the fact that the artists didn't literally recreate a tree so that people can sit in the shade.

One thing is certain to me: While it might be the most prominent, it's not the best art at the Denny Substation site. That honor might go to Switchwall, which is mesmerizing to watch day or night, or it might go to the building itself. It is unusual (yes, spaceship-like) and beautiful.

Also, any park that includes an off-leash area is a win for Seattle's furbabies.

@1 Rest assured that Seattle City Light ratepayers are paying for the lid and the art over and around the new Cascade substation.

I think it looks kinda cool. I'm confused by the author bemoaning it's forgotten history as a gravel pit and a greyhound maintenance shop?

It's loathsome. Elementary school kids create better looking trees. This is a caricature of something dead. No movement, no grace. Certainly not worthy of a great, growing city limit Seattle.

These efforts by SCL to make our utilities interesting and beautiful are awesome, totally innovative and next level, and took a lot more thought, time and effort than the petty thoughtless drivel you and the stranger shared here. Do something positive and constructive with your life, build something equivalent yourself, and earn the credentials to criticize the work of others. Then, spend your time on more important things, like lifting others up.

I don't understand how you even begin to review this object without reference to the Douglas Fir or the Watts Towers.

Can someone take Jasmyne for a day hike or two in some of the older forests in Washington State? And a couple in South LA, too? I don't think she even recognizes what she's looking at.

Looks like my aunt geraldine when she wakes up in the morning

Makes me think of what our "urban campers" leave on our sidewalks.

@1 Amazon promised to bring a bunch of server farms to Seattle, so Seattle invested millions in the substation. Then Amazon found a bigger tax break elsewhere. I'd be surprised if they ever even build the substation inside that building.

@15:

I see you're one of those "I don't know the first thing about actual art, but I know what I like" types...

Haven’t seen it in person but from the pictures looks like too much tower not enough tree

@15 I'm interested in hearing what you think it's derivative of.

The substation is in there and has been since at least the start of the year. In fact, SCL is having a free community event next Saturday to celebrate the near completion of the full project - https://www.seattle.gov/light/dennysub/

@16 there were never going to be any new data centers in that part of town by Amazon since the SLU buildout. Offices and plenty of them but not any large footprint data centers. What they have downtown has been there for a long time. AFAIK the one in Pacific Tower is still there. The biggest of the bunch locally are in Tukwila at the old Exodus/Cable and Wireless places. There are several non Amazon data centers as well probably around 30 at this point (including about 300k sq/ft in the old Times building). Seattle was a networking and communications hub long before Vulcan and Bezos gutted that part of town. The lion's share of data center space downtown isn't Amazon.

"I'd be surprised if they ever even build the substation inside that building."

nrutas dear, perhaps you should consider only making public declarative statements about those things which you actually understand. Otherwise, you might end up looking foolish.

@24

But that's a theme, not a prior work (or artist, or body or work).

You do understand what "derivative" means outside of calculus, I hope?

@26

What's a "postcard"? Some new kind of selfie app?

@28

No, the word does not fit. Words have meanings, be they prescriptive or descriptive, and you can't just use any old word you like and expect people to understand it to mean something it doesn't.

You could use plenty of words to describe a work that you don't think adequately develops or expresses its theme. "Derivative" is not one of them.

Cliched, hackneyed, overwrought, ham-fisted. Tepid, bombastic, obvious, lazy. There are dozens of choices.

But "derivative" specifically means a work is derived from some other work, or body of work. It's right there in the word. You can look it up, or you can read or talk to art critics to learn its meaning from usage instead of definition. What you can't do is misuse the word and then get indignant when people ask you questions based on its dictionary and commonly understood meanings.

I'll say it: Whatever you decide it it, it is also ugly. How much money was spent on this project and how much actually went to the artist and their installation? Hopefully a lot more than was soaked up by some shadow administrarors. Maybe we could grow vines on it? That would provide at least some shade and give a home to birds and rodents that eat bird's eggs, there by giving some life and nature back to that wasteland that used to be Cascade.

"it is"

@22 There is a plan to build a 11 story 133k square feet data center at 6th and Bell, though I can’t say what the status of the project is. I think I remember seeing a new proposed land use action sign there a few months ago.

@2 No it's not empty, you're looking into a void space that's part of the architectural design. The 120kv and 13kv bus work inside the building is installed and energized, but there's no actual customer load off of it yet because all the UG cables running from the substation to the load still need to be installed. All that load is currently being carried by Broad St 13kv Substation and will be switched over to Denny piecemeal over the next couple years. It's a very long, slow process.