Vandals wreak havoc on Carkeek Park artwork
SEATTLE -- The summer sun sparkles like a gemstone, peeking between clouds and teasing beachgoers who walk along the sand. It creates a cascade of Husky purple and Caribbean blue along a fence the color of pistachio green, near a beach in north Seattle.
It also lays the groundwork for Carkeek Park in the summer.
"It's just a beautiful area, just a nice cross-section of the Northwest," said Willie Thomas, who visits Carkeek about once a week. "They do this fairly regularly. It's all sorts of interesting artwork."
The colored tiles are part of the 4th annual art installation at Carkeek, called "Rootbound: Heaven and Earth". It went up in late June, and in the four weeks the exhibit has been there, one-third of the 18 pieces of artwork have been vandalized, damaged, or stolen, curators said.
"It's very tough. An artist doesn't want to put something out in the park that they've worked hundreds of hours on, only to have it taken down," said David Francis, Vice President of the Center on Contemporary Art, which sponsors the exhibit.
Francis was actually at Carkeek on Wednesday afternoon when he saw a fire truck enter the park, but didn't think much of it, given the train tracks that run through the area.
He only later learned that firefighters were there to douse the flames on a large tree - a temporary one, about 18 feet tall. The quilt of cardboard and cardboard staples was called "a shrine of fragile ambitions" by the artist.
The fragile art was no match for whoever set fire to it, investigators said. Seattle Fire believes the blaze was intentionally set, said Kyle Moore, a spokesman for the department.
"In some ways we try to prepare our artists in this show that this is an unsecured setting," Francis said. "It's sort of a radical environment. We're not sure what's going to happen to your piece."
Three other pieces in the park have been damaged and a fourth piece is missing. Half of the colored tiles along the pedestrian bridge - part of another piece - have also been removed.
"It's a shame that somebody spent a lot of time and effort for people to come down here and enjoy it and it's not there anymore," Thomas said, as he looked at the charred remains of the tree. "it's a real mess. I'm just glad it didn't catch any of the (real) trees on fire or anything like that."
It also lays the groundwork for Carkeek Park in the summer.
"It's just a beautiful area, just a nice cross-section of the Northwest," said Willie Thomas, who visits Carkeek about once a week. "They do this fairly regularly. It's all sorts of interesting artwork."
The colored tiles are part of the 4th annual art installation at Carkeek, called "Rootbound: Heaven and Earth". It went up in late June, and in the four weeks the exhibit has been there, one-third of the 18 pieces of artwork have been vandalized, damaged, or stolen, curators said.
"It's very tough. An artist doesn't want to put something out in the park that they've worked hundreds of hours on, only to have it taken down," said David Francis, Vice President of the Center on Contemporary Art, which sponsors the exhibit.
Francis was actually at Carkeek on Wednesday afternoon when he saw a fire truck enter the park, but didn't think much of it, given the train tracks that run through the area.
He only later learned that firefighters were there to douse the flames on a large tree - a temporary one, about 18 feet tall. The quilt of cardboard and cardboard staples was called "a shrine of fragile ambitions" by the artist.
The fragile art was no match for whoever set fire to it, investigators said. Seattle Fire believes the blaze was intentionally set, said Kyle Moore, a spokesman for the department.
"In some ways we try to prepare our artists in this show that this is an unsecured setting," Francis said. "It's sort of a radical environment. We're not sure what's going to happen to your piece."
Three other pieces in the park have been damaged and a fourth piece is missing. Half of the colored tiles along the pedestrian bridge - part of another piece - have also been removed.
"It's a shame that somebody spent a lot of time and effort for people to come down here and enjoy it and it's not there anymore," Thomas said, as he looked at the charred remains of the tree. "it's a real mess. I'm just glad it didn't catch any of the (real) trees on fire or anything like that."
People are CREEPS!!!
Nothing quite screams "I'm a looser" like being a vandal.
People who can create nothing and are outraged at the attention received by those who can, those are the cowards who destroy this kind of work. Â No doubt they think are big shots - they need to be shown just how very little they are. Shouldn't be too difficult to catch these punks. Â
I feel so badly for the artists. I have never understood vandalism... or why someone would get pleasure out of destroying something that is good for the community. It's like we can't have anything nice, because some stupid and bored teenagers.Â
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I can shed some light on why this happens, though. Â My daughter graduated from a high school in one of the more affluent suburbs up here. Â Vandalism like this was commonplace, even at the school. She said that the people she knew, but didn't hang around with (all boys,) said that vandalizing gets them a "rush of adrenaline" and that they get addicted to the thrill of doing it. Â They get bored and this is a way to feel "alive." Â Yes, seriously. Â Not anger, but emptiness and boredom, and a "thrill" according to them. Â Â
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So it comes down to (drum roll please) THE PARENTS, once again. Â In my town, the majority of kids have no responsibilities. I've talked to countless parents that feel that it's not fair to have their kids doing yard work, or babysitting their siblings, because they should be focusing on school and getting into college, and on sports and things that will help them in life. Â In my fancy neighborhood, there was not ONE teen that did the yardwork, but instead an army of landscapers that would come every week to do it. In fact, a few of the teens would openly taunt the yard workers, who were men not much older than they were. Â Parents don't get that their kids have empty lives because they're given everything... they are not needed.. they contribute nothing. Â They know that when they turn 16 they'll get the parent's BMW, and Mom will buy a new car. they know that even if they get a job, the money is all theirs to spend. But mostly they know that nothing is their fault, that the parents are wrongly smoothing out the path for them with the idea that the ONLY thing that matters is "getting into UW." Â Â This is the face of the vandals. Â Bored and privileged teens. Â
@DT you sound like you live where I live, good old mercer island
well said...
Wow, how much of a wuss do you have to be to attack something that can't fight back?
This is probably the one type of crime I just do not understand. How flippin' bored do people have to be for them to go out and vandal something? It's just like a while back when someone was so damn bored they felt that they had to constantly... oh wait! I'm not gonna say what it is. Otherwise chances are that loser will go out and do that one thing yet again probably for attention, so therefore, I ain't gonna finish that sentence.
So, since this is the second story in two hours covering almost verbatim the same topic I shall reply with the same comment.
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More or less.
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Congratulations to the youth of america,
I hope you YOLO'd with great swag.
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and we all appreciate your great taste and commitment to bettering yourselves and your community.
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Again, and again I am continually amazed with the great class and comportment displayed by our community who happens to lead the nation in education, literacy and skinny jeans.
I feel the need to clarify here.
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This isn't an issue of a specific community acting out in the face of inequity, or a youth rebelling against social injustice.
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This is the future of america, Idiots acting like destructive idiots because that is the essence of the values we espouse as a society.
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There are so many fingers that could be pointed at why we glorify irresponsible ignorant behavior that we could and should argue and fight for days and weeks about what we define as valuable in our lives. Instead I say open your hands and spread your arms, look at everything around you.
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There is a significant problem with our culture and we are failing.
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As a people we have created a system through education and media that creates not the future of an enlightened, forward thinking world class society.
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Look at your children, If you don't have children look at the children of people you know.
At the absolute very least, open your eyes to the generation your handing this world to.
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Wildlife cameras don't have to be limited to wildlife....
 @georgef Except they are not indestructible. If they know they are there they will be destroyed.
 @georgef Yeah I know where this is going, but I disagree.
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This is almost assuredly the work of upper middle class children.
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and by children i mean the 18-34 demographic.
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Idiots who go out of their way to ostracize themselves and "identify" with "american culture"
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probably right. i'm sure all the neighborhood parents will say its the work of people who "are from around here".
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parents, your kids are terrible. not all of them, but enough of them. they aren't precious snowflakes, they are punk-a@@ wannabe tough guys.
I agree with your narrowing down of the potential suspects. Still confused as to why you'd disagree to a few strategically placed "wildlife" cameras in the face of repeated events, and certainly an expectatation that the Wilding Lowlifes will return for more.Â
 @georgefÂ
The cameras would themselves be targeted.