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Champion

Peter de Lory

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

A mosaic column brings an extraordinary tree into Sea-Tac Airport.

Peter de Lory. Champion (in progress), 2004. Mosaic tile. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, SeaTac, WA. Photo: Peter de Lory

One of nine mosaic columns in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Concourse A, Peter de Lory’s Champion celebrates a Pacific Northwest icon: the Nolan Creek Western Red Cedar. Standing 178 feet tall with a circumference of 61 feet in Forks, WA, the tree is the tallest Western Red Cedar in the world. It is estimated to be 1,000 years old and has been preserved by loggers out of respect for its age and size.

de Lory photographed the tree to create the image for the column wrap. He then worked closely with Stephen Miotto of Miotto Mosaics to translate his photograph into mosaic. Ultimately, the artwork was fabricated using smalti (glass tiles) and polished marble in Carmel, NY, and Spilimbergo, Italy, which is home to one of the world’s oldest schools for mosaic artisans.
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Champion highlights parallels between the natural and built environments.
My work is primarily concerned with two facets - the Northwest landscape and urban infrastructure. I am interested in how humans relate to and alter the places we live, whether it is the wilderness or in cities. –Peter deLory
 A Seattle-based photographer, de Lory has served as the artist-in-residence for Sound Transit and Seattle Public Utilities. His work is included in many permanent collections, including the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Walker Arts Center, the Art Institute of Chicago, Seattle Art Museum, and the Polaroid Corporation.
Peter de Lory. Champion, 2004
Peter de Lory. Champion (in progress), 2004. Mosaic tile. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, SeaTac, WA. Photo: Peter de Lory
Peter de Lory. Champion, 2004. Mosaic tile. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, SeaTac, WA. Photo: Peter de Lory

About the Location

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

As a primary portal to the region, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport gives many visitors their first impressions of the Pacific Northwest and its culture. Sea-Tac began commissioning public artwork in 1968 and today the collection features integrated artworks, signature pieces by internationally and regionally known artists, and a temporary exhibition program. Its commissioned artworks and…

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