Streamline

Perri Howard

Fremont Siphon

Siphons have played in important role in water infrastructure for thousands of years. In Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, a hidden underground siphon moves an immense volume of wastewater everyday—and Perri Howard’s Streamline illuminates its powerful, steadfast presence.

Composed of one round and four rectangular windows, the architecturally integrated artwork was inspired by the physics, form, and function of the Fremont Siphon itself. The project makes use of real hydrology data to indicate the changing speed and volume of wastewater flow from day to night, wet to dry, season to season. Nine feet in diameter, the large round window matches the actual size of the siphon pipe below ground and features two rings of numbers around its circumference. The outer ring represents average flow during 24-hours of wet weather; the inner ring represents average flow during 24-hours of dry weather, calculated in millions of gallons per day. The piece’s four rectangular windows depict average flow during winter, spring, summer, and fall.

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Based in Washington’s Methow Valley, Howard is a multi-disciplinary artist and art planner who uses painting, drawing, sculpture, and sound to explore the relationship between human perception and sense of place.