Urban Wildlife Waterfall And Cougars Add Artistic Touch To Downtown Building
Unbeknownst to many, the creator of many of Spokane’s treasured public art, Ken Spiering, added yet another with last year’s opening of the downtown STA Plaza.
The artist, responsible for “The Childhood Express” red wagon in Riverfront Park, the “Passage: Immediate and Eternal” wood sculpture in City Hall and numerous other works around town, finally saw the complexities of creating a new public sculpture come to an end in November 1995 - but only after several years of planning, paperwork and execution. Spiering became involved when the Spokane Transit Authority invited him and others to compete for an art project.
His art work puts a bit of Northwest nature in the heart of downtown’s newest urban structure. A ride on the escalator between the first and second floors is a ride next to two mountain cats, real greenery and a running waterfall. The placement of organic amid concrete and metal architecture is the contrast Spiering particularly hoped to achieve.
The artist also wanted an interactive installation that would allow passersby an act of individual participation - which, in Spiering’s own words, “is acquiring a small piece of ownership.” As it turns out, the public has initiated their participation by tossing coins into the waterfall, thereby investing a claim.
Spiering spent two years refining his proposal before the project was begun. The artist experienced the creative challenge of finalizing a design according to building specifications that were strictly on paper. Although Spiering was originally searching for the perfect wall to support a mosaic treatment, the perfect wall never presented itself. Consequently, his first concept was ultimately reshaped and redefined to the present construction: a simulated Northwest mountain waterfall harboring two large bronze cats, titled “Cataract.”
Although many artists experiment with different mediums, few display the range shown by Spiering. He credits watching his homesteader father for his interest in so many handicrafts, and as the variety of his works around town attests, Spiering doesn’t hesitate to set his hands to something new. His creations leap dramatically from one material to another; three-dimensional modeling, welding, and bronze casting are only a few of the techniques used in this installation.
The one component Spiering chose to leave to other hands was the waterfall itself, constructed by an out-of-state company according to his specifications. Having completed so many public works to date and knowing the complexities, Spiering wisely decided to leave the potential hazards of a water installation to someone else.
The resulting installation definitely adds an unexpected component to the STA structure. Whereas a large, abstract and colorful piece would have been predictable (considering the architecture), Spiering’s final product is quite the opposite. No doubt the existing creation has more of a unique impact on the whole Plaza than alternatives, and subtleties such as the cat tracks leading to the falls from each end add an extra touch.
The one subtlety that is not as desirable is the current absence of a marker crediting the artist’s design, and certainly one would hope that such a label is in the works to acknowledge Spiering’s latest addition to Spokane’s art in public places.