About Art - Wake

Wake is the most physically impressive sculpture in Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, WA. based on sheer size alone. Each of the five waves is comprised of a set of two large curved steel forms, so the interior is hollow space.

Wake was created using computer imaging and machines that manufacture ship hulls, including a demilitarized machine that once made French nuclear submarines. Each wave is approximately 14 feet tall, 48 feet long, and 6 1/2 feet wide.Wake, which was installed in 2004, is impressive when viewed from far away, as from the top of the amphitheater, but it gains its real power up close. Walking between and around the waves is an experience itself. The large forms create interesting perspectives, blocking and revealing the sun, as well as different parts of the city and the park as you move.

The sculpture is the design of Richard Serra, who was born in San Francisco, and supported himself by working in steel mills after earning his B.A. in English Literature from UC-Santa Barbara. He went on to earn Bachelor and Master's degrees in Fine Arts from Yale University before traveling to Paris and then to Florence, Italy on a Fulbright Fellowship.

The Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park is a nine-acre former industrial site that has been transformed into an open and vibrant green space for art. The PACCAR Pavilion located at 2901 Western Avenue serves as park headquarters providing a comfortable indoor space, which includes the SAM Taste Cafe and a parking garage. Find out more about the sculptor at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricahrd_Serra