Redmond, Washington Lines Commuter Tunnel with 6,000 sq. ft. Artaic Mosaic

BOSTON, MA – February 2024 – “Somewhere Under the Rainbow” is a permanent public art installation created by Synthesis Design and Architecture for the city of Redmond, Washington. This transformative piece reimagines the SR520/40th St. bicycle trail tunnel, which serves as an infrastructural underpass between opposing sides of Microsoft’s Redmond campus, linking downtown Redmond to key destinations such as the State Route 520 expressway and downtown Seattle. Now, it functions as a portal, momentarily transporting visitors to another dimension that celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community of Washington and pays homage to the legacy of Microsoft.

Inspired by the notable Trompe-l’œil optical illusion technique and Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi’s revolutionary “linear perspective,” the team at Synthesis Design & Architecture aimed to create a conceptual contrast between illusion and reality to highlight the “other-worldly” qualities of the tunnel. 

A one-point perspective begins at the north entrance of the tunnel and is projected onto the walls and ceilings of the underpass using grids of two-dimensional mosaic tiles that illustrate the expansiveness of the field. The dark, long, and narrow underpass transforms into a gateway to another world, simultaneously expanding in width and shortening in length. However, upon entering the tunnel, the illusion is exposed. The high-resolution imagery from a single perspective turns into a low-resolution composition of tiled pixels, paying homage to Microsoft Paint (formerly Paintbrush), a simple raster graphics editor included with all versions of Microsoft Windows. A parade of palm trees swiftly transports visitors away from the typical Northwest rainforests and weather, while the chromatic spectrum of the sky transforms the iconic Pride rainbow from a representational object into an immersive experience.

To achieve the pixelated aesthetic and meet the surfacing requirements of the project, Synthesis Design & Architecture turned to Boston, MA-based mosaic design and manufacturing company Artaic for the mosaic’s design and fabrication. Artaic’s proprietary mosaic-building robots and Tylist™ software allowed the firm’s digital artwork to be transformed into a mosaic medium. The final mosaic covers nearly 6,000 square feet and includes over 800,000 individual Vitreous Glass tiles. Working with Artaic to transform the art into mosaic allows for durability and longevity—a key determining factor in deciding the final medium for the tunnel. With Vitreous Glass, the resulting artwork is a highly cleanable, vibrant mosaic installation that will resist damage and maintain its color for years to come.

When the City of Redmond put out a request for qualifications for the public art of the SR 520 Trail Grade Separation at NE 40th Street, the Synthesis Design & Architecture team knew they had to present the unexpected. Through the firm’s artistic collaboration with Artaic, the commuter passage went from a municipal tunnel to a vivid portal that immerses Redmond commuters in elements of their city’s culture, transporting them beyond a mere intersection to a broader world. 

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ABOUT ARTAIC

Artaic specializes in the design, fabrication, and assembly of award-winning mosaics, employing cutting-edge robotic technology and innovative design tools. Artaic’s proprietary Tylist™ software enables its in-house design team to create custom mosaics from source imagery of all mediums—whether drawings, photographs, logos, or ideas and concepts. With a wide range of materials, including vitreous glass, sintered glass, stone, and glazed porcelain, Artaic’s team ensures each creation is distinct and tailored to the client’s vision. At the heart of Artaic’s philosophy is the elevation of the tile mosaic to an art form. Whether introducing a distinctive artistic element to a project or translating an artist’s work into a new medium, Artaic fosters a reevaluation of tile as a powerful element of design and art. Artaic also offers a catalog of preconceived design collections—such as Flourish, Splash!, Lasting Rugs, and Verge—that can be customized to fit projects of any scale and made unique by an expansive material and color palette. The Boston-based company’s tailored approach and unique manufacturing process increase design flexibility and artistic expression while decreasing lead time and cost, making it a go-to resource for architects, interior designers, and artists across the globe.