A podcast called Saltwater Soundwalk takes viewers on a tour of the people, places, and waterways that make up Seattle, starting at Gas Works Park and travelling down the Burke Gilman route to the Fremont Bridge, where the Ship Canal entry is located.
Saltwater Soundwalk, a site-specific audio experience that centres on Indigenous Coast Salish voices and language, was created by artists Jenny Asarnow and Rachel Lam (Anigiduwagi enrolled Cherokee Nation).
It explores our relationships to and obligations towards the Salish Sea and connecting waters.
A 50-minute stroll and 12 one- to three-minute clips make up the audio experience, which may be listened to locally or from anywhere in the globe.
Ken Workman (Duwamish), Warren King George (Muckleshoot), Michelle Myles (Tulalip), Archie Cantrell (Puyallup), LaDean Johnson (Skokomish), Owen Oliver (Quinault/Isleta Pueblo), Lydia Sigo (Suquamish), Randi Purser (Suquamish), RYAN! Feddersen (FLOW artist, Confederated Tribes of the Colville- (Seattle Public Utilities).
All podcasting software, including Soundcloud, offers access to the podcast.
“Artists Jenny Asarnow and Rachel Lam curate centuries of melodic legacy to change and challenge our expectations of our environment and history through these multi-dimensional experiences. They capture our sharpened emotions and share them back to each of us for known and unknown purposes. Their authentic listening is unapologetic in its monumental appreciation and respect. The resulting polyphonic music of unforgiving life lyrics is everywhere for everyone.”
royal alley-barnes, Acting Director Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
The podcast combines English with Coast Salish languages to create a rhythmic audio experience that connects streams of narrative as they ebb and flow.
The classic Seattle fishing spot “Hit the Water” may be found out by listeners. The Ship Canal construction, Seattle’s colonial past, and the names given to local locations by the Tulalip people are all topics covered in this episode.
The audio story also emphasises the importance of Indigenous people’s rights, obligations, and cultural preservation for mending these waterways, our relationships with them, and our relationships with one another.
The episode also features personal accounts from public artists and a manager from Seattle Public Utilities on how each of us affects our live rivers.
It offers a special chance to see how every one of us is connected to the Salish Sea region and is a start toward improving interactions between people and this changing environment.
The Ship Canal Water Quality Project of Seattle Public Utilities provided funding for FLOW: Art Along the Ship Canal, a project that commissions artists to present their distinctive voices and create connections between the people, neighbourhoods, and infrastructure that support the city and its residents.
The Lake Washington Ship Canal, Salmon Bay, and Lake Union are seeing a major reduction in the volume of sewage and contaminated stormwater (from rain) due to the construction of an underwater storage tunnel by Seattle Public Utilities and King County Wastewater Treatment Division.
The 1% for Public Art initiative, run by the Seattle Office of Art & Culture, receives funding from 1% of all Seattle capital improvement projects that qualify.
In a range of locations, its team works to commission, acquire, and install public artworks.
By giving people the chance to experience art in parks, libraries, community centres, on streets, bridges, and other public places, we simultaneously improve the everyday lives of residents and provide artists a platform.
By giving people the chance to experience art in parks, libraries, community centres, on streets, bridges, and other public places, we simultaneously improve the everyday lives of residents and provide artists a platform.