Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA, 2021

Axis Lounge, located in the northwest corner of the Climate Pledge Arena plaza, is conceived as a microcosm of the Arena environment. Offering immersive visual, interactive and collective experiences, this place-based artwork creates an iconic backdrop for plaza gatherings. The installation’s sculptural elements juxtapose vibrant and varied colors, textures and forms to depict a metaphoric overlay of sports and music. A concrete bench is shaped like a hockey stick, while a wood and metal bench is shaped like a guitar. Individual components of the artwork loosely express colors and emotions as described in Seattle musician Jimi Hendrix’s seminal song, “Bold as Love.”

Axis Lounge’s light colors vary from night-to-night, depending on Arena happenings and civic events. Different color combinations mark special observances and team colors. Red and blue lights play on NHL Kraken games, while green and yellow lights play on WNBA Storm games. On non-event nights the light colors correspond with the lyrics of “Bold as Love.”

Axis Lounge was commissioned by Climate Pledge Arena and is one of eight artworks that resulted from a public art plan for the Arena developed by Haddad|Drugan with a conceptual theme of “remembering tomorrow” through projects that foster collective experiences. To develop and create Axis Lounge, Haddad|Drugan worked with Atomic Fabrications, Diamond Painting, Mayer of Munich, Swift Landscape Architects, Thornton Tomasetti Structural Engineers, CAA Icon, ArtSite, Cochran Inc electrical contractors, and Todd Haas of The Lighting Group who worked with the artists to program the system.