4Culture News

Alchemy & Spells: How Mel Carter transformed earthly elements for bitter, the mourning

Art installation with an indigo blue cloth featuring a white circle, a wooden cage centerpiece, a yellow glass on top, various ceramic vessels, a red glass bottle, small bowl, and scattered white objects, all on a concrete floor.
Mel Carter. bitter, the mourning, 2025. Installation view. Photo: joefreemanjunior.com

Four years ago, Mel Carter showed up to an emerging artist residency at Centrum with their sewing machine, expecting to make some textile work. “But I was more interested in actually connecting to the place within the space,” they realized, so they set about exploring the Fort Warden grounds—an abandoned army base, a state park, the beach.

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Two new public art projects to trace water with language and sound

A digital rendering shows a landscaped walkway with silhouettes of people near a brick building. Metal poles display horizontal text, and red sculptural elements are placed among shrubs and greenery.
A rendering of Waterlog at the Rainier Valley Wet Weather Station. Image: AREA C Projects

From modern-day news articles to ancient Indigenous legends, the Duwamish River looms large in the life and stories of our region. Its physical wellbeing has huge impacts on our water and ecosystem, and its history continues to resonate throughout local culture. Now two new public art projects are taking shape around this enduring legacy, joining 4Culture’s ever-growing collection of water-centric artworks.

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