SEATTLE — A giant S.O.S. message is spelled out in burned tree trunks under the Space Needle. It'll be there all summer, educating visitors about a danger to Washington’s forests and air.
“Walking through tens of thousands of acres of burned forest is a kind of harrowing and very powerful feeling,” said Ted Youngs, an artist.
In 2018, he visited the woods charred by the 2017 Jolly Mountain fire near Cle Elum and had an idea: What if he could show the damage to people who otherwise might never see the aftermath of a wildfire up close?
“Bringing a logging truck full of these logs is easier than bringing 3 million people out into the forest,” Youngs said Friday.
He worked with Washington DNR and Seattle Center to haul several burned trees to the base of the Space Needle for an art project called "The Smoke Season."
It consists of three installations. The giant S.O.S. display along Broad Street is called “Distress Signal.”
“Smoke is a method of expressing danger that has been used by humans for a very long time,” Youngs said.
He said he chose the Jolly Mountain fire, because it was one the first recent fires to foul Western Washington’s air with smoke. Suddenly, those flames over the mountains didn't seem so far away.
Youngs said he wants his work to spur people to think about the health impacts of fires and smoke, as well as precautions.
“I'm hoping it gives them a better sense of the natural world around them and an opportunity to learn about methods that are in place to reduce wildfire risk and to try to create a healthier forest environment,” he said.
Thousands of people ride to the top of the Space Needle each summer, and when they glance down, they'll see the S.O.S. sign, but it'll only mean something if they notice.
“This is the problem of any distress signal is whether anyone is looking for it,” Youngs said.
“The Smoke Season” opens Friday and will be on display through September 15.