M A T E R I A L C U L T U R E
B a s k e t o f L i g h t
STORY BY
Suzanne Beal
D elicate y e t m onum ental, high-tech y e t entw ined
w ith vegetation, E d C a rp en ter's steel a n d
glass
Vessel
offers a p erfect m elding o f art, science
a n d nature.
Ed Carpenter, a Portland-based artist spe-
cializing in architectural installations, has
long worked w ith structures designed to
reflect visual and temporal changes, espe-
cially as made m anifest by light.
Vessel,
a
steel and glass structure standing over four
stories high at the heart o f Seattle’s Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, offers
a perfect reflection, as it w ere, o f art and
science. T h e center, named after baseball
great Fred Hutchinson, w ho died o f cancer
at the age o f 45, is an independent nonprofit
research institution devoted to the treat-
ment and prevention o f cancer and other
life-threatening diseases.
Installed in July 2008,
Vessel
both proj-
ects and reflects light, and, like a cup,
retains and releases its contents. A t 60 feet
high and a diameter o f 39 feet, it resembles
a large-scale basket, w hose latticew ork
o f steel and strips o f dichroic and beveled
glass subtly references the collaborative
nature o f the center. T hough the sole de-
signer, Carpenter relied on over 30 suppli-
ers and contractors and the expertise o f
fabrication and w elding specialists to com -
plete the project. H e is also dependent
upon view ers: as audiences shift position,
the glass used in
Vessel
appears to change
color, so that the experience is optical as
w ell as kinetic.
In early 2006, the center’s art committee
invited 100 artists to apply for the com -
mission, eventually whittling the list to six
finalists. T h e com m ittee hoped to elicit
w ork that would, among other things, reflect
the identity o f the institution and its con-
nection to the w orld, while also maintaining
a universal appeal. “ Ed rose to the occa-
sion,” notes Cath Brunner, director o f Pub-
lic A rt 4Culture and a consultant during
the selection process, “ He really understood
the context o f the space.”
Vessel
is situated at the center’s core:
a space that functions as a shuttle drop-off,
vehicle drive and pedestrian walkw ay. It
is also visible to casual observers from a
number o f vantage points, including Lake
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