| Neukom Vivarium | |
| Artist: | Mark Dion |
| Length Imperial: | 80 |
| Metric Unit: | m |
| Imperial Unit: | ft |
| City: | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Museum: | Olympic Sculpture Park |
| Coordinates: | 47.6159°N -122.3543°W |
| Mapframe: | yes |
| Mapframe-Zoom: | 13 |
| Owner: | Seattle Art Museum |
Neukom Vivarium is a 2006 mixed media installation by American artist Mark Dion, located at Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, Washington, United States. The work features a 60feet Western hemlock that fell outside of Seattle in 1996, acting as a nurse log within an 80feet greenhouse. According to the Seattle Art Museum, which operates the park, the tree "inhabits an art system" consisting of bacteria, fungi, insects, lichen and plants. The installation supplies magnifying glasses to visitors wanting a closer inspection; they are provided field guides in the form of tiles.
The installation was donated by Bill and Sally Neukom, American Express Company, Seattle Garden Club, Mark Torrance Foundation and Committee of 33, in honor of the Seattle Art Museum's 75th anniversary. It was Dion's first permanent public work of art in the United States. The architect for the structure was Owen Richards Architects.[1]
Neukom Vivarium is a mixed media installation by American artist Mark Dion, located at Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, Washington. The work's design was approved in 2004 and completed in 2006. The Seattle Art Museum, which operates the park, described Neukom Vivarium as a "hybrid work of sculpture, architecture, environmental education and horticulture that connects art and science."[2] It features a 60feet nurse log, formerly part of a forest ecosystem that now "inhabits an art system", housed within an 80feet greenhouse. The greenhouse includes a cabinet designed by Dion that supplies magnifying glasses, allowing visitors to inspect the log for various life forms. Field guides are present in the form of blue and white tiles, depicting bacteria, fungi, insects, lichen and plants that may be found on the log.
Dion had hoped to feature one of two tree species for the installation—Douglas fir or Western hemlock—the former for its "mythic presence" and the latter for its charisma, and for being the state tree of Washington.[3] The hemlock used for Neukom Vivarium fell outside of Seattle on February 8, 1996, in a protected drainage basin with old-growth forest. As a result of this incident, the biodegradation process was decelerated. According to Dion, the tree "had just fallen into [their] lap" and was suitable for its accessibility, personality and size.[3] He said of the exhibit:
Neukom Vivarium was a gift from Bill and Sally Neukom, American Express Company, Seattle Garden Club, Mark Torrance Foundation and Committee of 33, in honor of the Seattle Art Museum's 75th anniversary. The work was Dion's first permanent public work of art in the United States.[2]