Seattle to create pedestrian zone in Pioneer Square for 6 World Cup match days<\/a><\/p>\nCity and stadium leaders, community partners, and donors attended the event, according to SeattleFWC26, the local organizing committee for Seattle\u2019s participation as a World Cup host city. <\/p>\n
Commissioned to commemorate Seattle Stadium\u2019s role as a host venue for six FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, the sculpture was created by Pacific Northwest artist Gerard Tsutakawa. \u201cVital Spirit\u201d is a TIG-welded silicon bronze abstraction of a human figure. It stands on a 6-by-6-foot concrete pad and has a permanent dark blue-black patina sealed in wax. A FIFA-provided bronze plaque installed alongside the piece recognizes Seattle as a FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City.<\/p>\n
The piece will become part of the stadium authority\u2019s permanent collection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Vital Spirit sculpture embodies an abstract profile standing on two legs. One side has gentle curves and the other is angular, which allude to the yin and yang of human nature. The two sides rise up and are brought together by the circle, which symbolizes the unity of the world we all share,\u201d Tsutakawa said. \u201cThis sculpture\u2019s abstract design represents the idea of the coming together of the peoples of the world. The spirit of which the World Cup represents.\u201d<\/p>\n
SeattleFWC26 CEO Peter Tomozawa said the artwork is intended to serve as a lasting symbol beyond the tournament. \u201cSeattle has always led through innovation and unity, and that same spirit is at the heart of everything we’ve built around this World Cup,\u201d Tomozawa said. \u201cVital Spirit anchors the Seattle Unity Loop, a legacy project that will connect neighborhoods and communities long after the tournament ends. This sculpture is a symbol of what is possible when a community comes together with vision and purpose, and it will still be standing here decades from now as a reminder of what Seattle created in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seattle Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt said the sculpture is meant to remain a reminder of the World Cup\u2019s impact on the city. <\/p>\n
\u201cSeattle is about to welcome the world for six extraordinary matches, and the energy and opportunity that comes with that is something we will feel for years to come,\u201d Surratt said. \u201cWhat makes Vital Spirit so special is that it will remain here long after the final match, a permanent reminder of the goodwill, the investment, and the pride that the FIFA World Cup brought to our city. We are thrilled that every future visitor to Seattle Stadium will be able to see and feel what this moment meant for Seattle.\u201d<\/p>\n
SeattleFWC26 said \u201cVital Spirit\u201d is the southern anchor and starting point of the Seattle Unity Loop, described as a 4-plus-mile curated public art path being developed as a legacy project. The loop is a collaboration between SeattleFWC26 and the neighborhoods of Pioneer Square, Chinatown-International District, Belltown, Central District and Capitol Hill, and is intended to connect visitors and residents to cultural landmarks and public art installations, including highlights along Waterfront Park and at Seattle Center.<\/p>\n
Tsutakawa\u2019s work draws on Pacific Rim cultures and traditions, SeattleFWC26 said, noting his first public art sculpture commission was created for the International Children\u2019s Park in 1979 and helped establish a theme of approachable, interactive art that continued through many of his large outdoor sculpture designs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE \u2014 A new nine-foot bronze figure now stands at Seattle Stadium (a.ka. Lumen Field)’s North Plaza, marking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":400596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-400595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}