Black Sun (sculpture)

Last updated
Black Sun
Black Sun by Isamu Noguchi.jpg
Black Sun (sculpture)
Artist Isamu Noguchi
Year1969 (1969)
Type Sculpture
Medium Granite
Dimensions2.7 m diameter (9 ft)
Location Seattle
Coordinates 47°37′48″N122°18′55″W / 47.629943°N 122.315195°W / 47.629943; -122.315195
OwnerCity of Seattle

Black Sun is a 1969 sculpture by Isamu Noguchi located in Seattle, Washington's Volunteer Park. The statue is situated on the eastern edge of the park's man-made reservoir, across from the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The view from the sculpture includes the Space Needle, Olympic Mountains, and Elliott Bay. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Many mistakenly believe Soundgarden's hit single "Black Hole Sun" was inspired by Noguchi's sculpture, as the band took their name from another outdoor public art work in Seattle, A Sound Garden , and the resemblance of the song's title to Noguchi's work. However, singer-songwriter Chris Cornell attributes the song's inspiration to a misheard news broadcast. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soundgarden</span> American rock band

Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially by Scott Sundquist, and later by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto left in 1989 and was replaced initially by Jason Everman and shortly thereafter by Ben Shepherd. The band dissolved in 1997 and re-formed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017 and a year of uncertainty regarding the band's future, Thayil declared in October 2018 that Soundgarden had disbanded once again, though they did reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Cornell</span> American singer and guitarist (1964–2017)

Christopher John Cornell was an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. He also had a solo career and contributed to numerous movie soundtracks. Cornell was the founder and frontman of Temple of the Dog, a one-off tribute band dedicated to his late friend Andrew Wood. Several music journalists, fan polls and fellow musicians have regarded Cornell as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.

<i>Superunknown</i> 1994 studio album by Soundgarden

Superunknown is the fourth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994, through A&M Records. Produced by Michael Beinhorn and the band themselves, Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger (1991). Superunknown retained the heaviness of the band's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isamu Noguchi</span> Japanese-American artist and landscape architect (1904–1988)

Isamu Noguchi was an American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces, some of which are still manufactured and sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volunteer Park (Seattle)</span> Park in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Volunteer Park is a 48.3-acre (19.5 ha) park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Art Museum</span> Art museum in Seattle, Washington, United States

The Seattle Art Museum is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, United States. The museum operates three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park, Capitol Hill; and Olympic Sculpture Park on the central Seattle waterfront, which opened in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Hole Sun</span> 1994 single by Soundgarden

"Black Hole Sun" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released in 1994 by A&M Records as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). Considered to be the band's signature song, it topped the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of seven weeks at number one. Despite peaking at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, "Black Hole Sun" finished as the number-one track of 1994 for that listing. Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, and Ireland, while in Iceland, it reached number one.

Hammering Man is a series of monumental kinetic sculptures by Jonathan Borofsky. The two-dimensional painted steel sculptures were designed at different scales, were painted black, and depict a man with a motorized arm and hammer movement to symbolize workers throughout the world. They were structurally engineered by Leslie E. Robertson Associates (LERA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outshined</span> 1991 single by Soundgarden

"Outshined" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by the band's frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released as the second single from their third studio album, Badmotorfinger (1991). It became the band's first single to reach the U.S. Mainstream Rock charts, where it peaked at number 45. It was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides, the 2010 compilation album, Telephantasm and the live album Live on I-5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Sculpture Park</span> Public park in downtown Seattle, WA

The Olympic Sculpture Park, created and operated by the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), is a public park with modern and contemporary sculpture in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The park, which opened January 20, 2007, consists of a 9-acre (36,000 m2) outdoor sculpture museum, an indoor pavilion, and a beach on Puget Sound. It is situated in Belltown at the northern end of the Central Waterfront and the southern end of Myrtle Edwards Park.

Charles Stokes (1944–2008) was a painter and sculptor and a prominent member of the last generation of artists identified with the Northwest School. He was the first winner of the prestigious Betty Bowen Award in concert with the Seattle Art Museum in 1979. His works are held by Northwest museums and institutions, most prominently the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner, Washington, and by numerous private collectors. Revered as an energetic, charismatic, original, and meticulous artist and teacher, he spent his final two decades in self-imposed isolation from the art world producing works seen only by intimates. Stokes was born in Tacoma, Washington. He lived and worked in the Northwest until the early 1990s, when he settled in Manhattan, New York City.

<i>Stone Wave</i>

Stone Wave occupies the central courtyard of Tacoma, Washington's Tacoma Art Museum and is a major public work by sculptor Richard Rhodes of Seattle, Washington. Completed in May, 2003, the wave is constructed using 650 unique pieces of antique Chinese granite laid on a substrate of closed-cell foam and mortar. At once echoing the surging of waves and the volcanic core of Mount Rainier, the sculpture presents a zone of visual serenity among the museum's galleries.

Sinai is a public artwork by the Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi, located at the Lynden Sculpture Garden, which is near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Sinai is a cast-iron sculpture measuring 36 inches (910 mm) high, 21 inches (530 mm) wide, and 11 inches (280 mm) deep. It is part of a series of work created between the 1967 and 1969, during which time Noguchi was collaborating with the Japanese stone carver Masatoshi Izumi.

Bear Creek Studio is a residential recording studio located in Woodinville, Washington and is located in a barn on a 10 acre farm. Bear Creek is known for its "rural farmhouse" location. A number of artists have recorded at the studio, including: Brandi Carlile, Train, the Lumineers, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, James Brown, Modest Mouse, L.A. Edwards, Geoff Tate, The Tragically Hip, Eric Clapton and Lionel Richie. James Shaw of Metric called it "the oldest family owned studio in America, and is a really special place." Chris Cornell said: "It was such a pleasant place, we didn't want to leave."

Soaring Stones, also known as Rouse Rocks, Soaring Rocks, and Stones on Sticks, is a 1990 granite-and-steel sculpture by John T. Young. It was first installed in the Transit Mall of Portland, Oregon, and was later sited as Soaring Stones #4 at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. The sculpture was commissioned for $100,000 to replace a fountain that was removed during construction of Pioneer Place.

<i>Father and Son</i> (Bourgeois) Fountain and sculpture in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Father and Son is an outdoor 2005 fountain and sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, installed at Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, Washington. It is made of stainless steel, aluminum and features a bronze bell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Washington University Public Sculpture Collection</span>

The Western Washington University Outdoor Sculpture Collection is a public sculpture collection founded in 1960. The collection contains thirty-six public sculptures spanning 190 acres of the Western Washington University campus.

<i>Waterfront Fountain</i> Fountain and sculpture in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Waterfront Fountain was an outdoor 1974 fountain and sculpture by James FitzGerald and Margaret Tomkins, installed along Alaskan Way in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The fountain was located adjacent to the Seattle Aquarium at Waterfront Park on Pier 58.

<i>No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1</i> 2020 studio album by Chris Cornell

No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1 is the fifth studio album by Chris Cornell, released posthumously without prior announcement by his estate and Universal Music Enterprises, on December 11, 2020. It consists of ten covers sequenced and recorded by Cornell in 2016, including Harry Nilsson's "Jump into the Fire", John Lennon's "Watching the Wheels", and Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U".

References

  1. Farr, Sheila (May 13, 2005). "Is public art disappearing?". The Seattle Times . Retrieved Mar 10, 2021.
  2. Tannesen Burnham, Liona (May 27, 2006). "Liveliness, diversity are valued hallmarks of Capitol Hill area". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  3. Farr, Sheila (June 5, 2005). "Noguchi: Artist without a country has a place in Seattle". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  4. Anderson, Kyle (June 3, 2014). "Chris Cornell tells stories behind classic 'Superunknown' songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 30, 2021. I had misheard a news anchor, and I thought he said 'black hole sun,' but he said something else. So I was corrected, but after that I thought, 'Well, he didn't say it, but I heard it,' and it created this image in my brain and I thought it would be an amazing song title. It was a thought-provoking phrase, and it became that song. That was a title that came before music, so the music was the inspiration that came from the images created by those words.

47°37′47.82″N122°18′54.71″W / 47.6299500°N 122.3151972°W / 47.6299500; -122.3151972