A fence installation in Downtown Edmonds, WA celebrating immigrant entrepreneurship
Commissioned by the City of Edmonds’ On the Fence Public Art Program, Boundless Sky features 5 community-suggested dishes in Edmonds’ International District and the city at large, ensconced by heavenly clouds. Carrying the hopes, dreams, and resilience of their passengers, the dishes travel skybound on a migration journey towards an idyllic destination—mirroring the pathways of immigrants arriving to make Edmonds their home. The highlighted immigrant- and BIPOC-owned restaurants include: Hosoonyi Korean Restaurant, Dumpling Generation, Rise & Shine Bakery, Kafé Neo, and Las Brisas.
Located in the parking lot of ArtWorks, a community arts nonprofit, the 6-month temporary installation aspires to be an inviting fixture on the commercial corridor that can be enjoyed by pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists alike. Beckoning community members towards a shared voyage of migration, these pops of color on the fence will encourage passersby to interact with the artwork in creative ways, including the potential of being a local photography spot in Edmonds.
Artistic Process
To create the fence installation, I conducted community research both digitally and non-digitally: with dozens of immigrant-owned businesses in commercial hubs like Bohan Plaza, Plum Tree Plaza, 99 Ranch Market, and more, Edmonds’ International District is the perfect research site for this project. I posted an online survey in hyperlocal Facebook groups in Edmonds and the Puget Sound area and canvassed Edmonds’ International District to interview passersby. Out of the crowdsourced suggestions, I chose 5 local businesses representative of the rich diversity that Edmonds houses, blending popular spots and small mom-and-pop shops. I then interviewed the owners of the businesses about their migration stories, entrepreneurial experiences, and signature dishes.
To create the outdoor pieces, I cut out large circles from corrugated plastic sheets and painted the signature dishes on them with outdoor acrylic paint. I utilized a similar method to create oblong cutouts and layer them with adhesive to create the dream-like cloud patterns. My choice of canvas and paint medium both optimize for the needs of an outdoor fence installation; the material of corrugated plastic is waterproof, weatherproof, and extremely lightweight, while outdoor acrylic paints are formulated to be water-resistant. Finally, I attached the dishes and clouds individually to the fence using zip ties to craft the full scene.