Art and Nature Under I-90
I have a long gestating project, my Under I-90 project, to which I keep returning. There's a stretch of Spokane that runs from Division St west to Latah Creek and under/along a stretch of Federal highway. In this stretch, I've found a unique ecosystem. Not all good and beautiful, mind you, but a unique space unlike anything else in Spokane.
Yes, there are homeless folks and a bit of squalor but I can't help but see the beauty in all the angles and texture and slivers of light. I took a walk earlier today and I found bits of green that were absent only a few days back. Plus, the crisp skies seemed to make the urban art and their colors POP a bit more.
I won't pretend that a few bits of green will turn the place is a Shangri La. It's still quite the opposite but I do take it as a sign that if man disappeared from the Earth, nature would affix itself in all of the abandoned corners ... and would do quite well for itself. How would we do if nature disappeared from the Earth? I don't think we'd do nearly as well.
I intend to spend more time here in the next few weeks and I'll do my best to highlight the hidden (in plain sight) architectural beauty that is part of this concrete behemoth!
