Tree of Life
Seyed Alavi
Harborview Medical Center
A glass ceiling with a high-concept pattern brings nature indoors.
Glowing like a piece of stained glass, a colorful artwork makes a section of ceiling appear to contain the sky as seen through the leaves and branches of trees. Seyed Alavi’s Tree of Life uses an existing drop-ceiling grid to hold translucent art glass panels and illuminate The Landing, an area that connects Harborview’s Ninth and Eighth Avenue lobbies.
The artwork forms a geometric pattern with equilateral right triangles in 11 colors, a design based in two concepts that speak to the setting. The first is the sequence of amino acids found in the polypeptide chains of hemoglobin in human red blood cells. In each hemoglobin molecule, chains of 19 amino acids come together like beads in a necklace. Tree of Life uses a unique color and shape combination to represent each of the amino acids, then replicates the chains. Red squares represent iron molecules in the chains and indicate where one strand ends and the next begins.
The triangle pattern of the artwork also echoes geometric compositions used in quilts, particularly the widely used “Flying Geese” pattern. Through this reference, the piece conjures the warmth, care, and comfort of quilts as well as the collaborative nature of geese working together toward wellbeing and wholeness—not unlike Harborview’s doctors, nurses, and staff.Continue Reading ›
About the Location
Harborview Medical Center
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