Seen from afar, as in this June 2024 photo, looking down into the Valley, one sees Wake, the 5 element sculpture Richard Serra created between 2002-2004. As one approaches, walking down a gravel path to the west, or by the stairway, one’s spatial relationship to the sculpture changes, subtle and slow. Even though one knows the general scale of Richard Serra’s monumental sculpture, you sense it growing larger the closer you get to it. I am always amazed and astounded on just how this one sneaks up on you the closer you get to the five elements that comprise Wake; your perceptions are altered. All of the sudden you find yourself within the space, sharing or occupying the same space, only now, once you are there, you are overpowered with the pure sense of something you don’t know, a new experience.
These soft sensuous forms tower over as you move among their bulging, undulating rhythmic surfaces, of corten steel, absorbing the light in the warm glow of the self protecting rusted surfaces. I have been fortunate to visit the sculpture park many times over the years, observing the garden as it matures, seeing it in different seasons, different times of day, different kinds of light, one can look forward to seeing something new with each visit.
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- Wake, Olympic Sculpture Park
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- Gingko Trees
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- Autumn leaves Richard Serra’s 2004 Wake
