Photographic Study of the EMP

Photographic Study
Experience Music Project
Seattle, Washington
By Chris Schultz

Now Showing at Rockford Coffee in Bozeman!! Please check it out!

Artist Statement:

While living in Seattle from 2001 to 2004, I did a photo study of 3 northwest cities, including Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The studies were in part a love for photography and documenting my explorations, and part my constant building of an original image library to make use of as a graphic designer. That larger study included the EMP in Seattle.

As a whole, the EMP is not my favorite building. I have a love hate relationship with the building and how it looks in context to the larger city of Seattle. There was much anticipation in Seattle leading up to the Frank Gehry’s newest creation. When it was unveiled in 1999, it was received with some excitement, but plagued by a lot of criticism that lasts to this day. Personally, I don’t like the look at the EMP as an entire building. The interior of the building feels like an afterthought, with very little usable space. The museum has a marginal collection of rock paraphernalia. Making it hardly worth the $15 entry fee.

All criticism aside, it is the up close and personal experience with the exterior of the building, which I have a fondness for. I find the skinned look of the sheet metal panels to be one of the most exciting textures to photograph. The appearance of these textures is ever changing with the passing of seasons and Northwest weather. The curves of the sheet metal give me the feeling of a combination of the soft nature of human form and aircraft design.