LEW Floor
N 47° 36.390 W 122° 19.987
10T E 550123 N 5272781
Have you ever walk on the words of others? You can on the 7,200 square foot word floor where the Literacy/ESL/World Languages (LEW) Collection is housed in Seattle's Central Library.
Waymark Code: WM46H6
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 07/15/2008
Views: 26
Coordinates are for the entrance located off 4th Ave. Go through the revolving door and head to your right and you will locate the piece. If you enter the library from another entrance, take the elevator to the first floor and go left upon exiting the elevator.
This very large piece of art was designed by Ann Hamilton. The seemingly random raised letters on the floor actually are first lines of 556 books located in the library written backwards. Matching with the World Languages theme of the area, the words are in 11 different languages. Walking through the collection, you not only experience the art with your eyes, but with your feet. Since all the letters are raised, you can feel them as you walk. The uneven flooring causes you to exam the art more closely as you are walking along.
Hamilton has many other large scale permanent exhibits, including in New York and in the San Fransisco Public Library. She has other rotating pieces exhibiting as well.
Parking is available on the street or in nearby garages. There is a garage located under the library off of Spring Street. Parking is free for the first 20 minutes in the garage. There are daily tours offered of the library that highlight many different features and designs.
Learn More about Seattle Public Art