ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Friends of Little Saigon is a Seattle based community group whose mission is to preserve and enhance Little Saigon’s cultural, economic, and historic vitality. Early this year, Friends of Little Saigon commissioned Animal Name Design to create a piece of artwork to be installed in Hoa Mai Park, at 1224 S King Street as a part of their Phố Đẹp (Beautiful Neighborhood) initiative . The plan for this artwork was two-fold: to improve public safety of the park by increasing lighting and to contribute to a sense of place through incorporating Southeast Asian arts and cultural elements.

THE ARTWORK

Through direct engagements with Friends of Little Saigon, Animal Name Design has designed a series of abstract, massive, sculptural lanterns to be placed throughout the park. These sculptural lanterns were inspired by the traditional lantern making in Hội An. Their colors and patterns are derived and inspired directly from the traditional textiles of Southeast Asia. Below are some inspirational images and patterns we are utilizing in the design of this artwork.

The sculptural lanterns will be made of powder coated, cut, metal panels. They will emit light and shadows based on the patterns.

THE SCULPTURAL LANTERNS

The sculptural lanterns are very large (about 6 feet wide) and they will cast light and shadows throughout the park. This will help increase the lighting in the park and also will create some dynamism and excitement. We are currently planning on having 3 sculptural lanterns in the park and need help from the community. We have 6 options to choose from that are a combination of various colorways and perforation patterns and we would like you to vote for your top 3.