Force/Collide

Fabrication in motion, captured by artist and photographer . We were fortunate to bring Rachel's singular eye behind the scenes to document the process of finishing Michelle de la Vega's large-scale permanent sculpture, "Inheritance."

The sculpture is now installed at a new Sound Transit Light Rail Station serving the Kent/Des Moines area.

Photography: © 2024 Rachel Demy
Artist:
Fabrication by:
Force/Collide Key Fabricators: .gaddy, Ignacio Lopez,
Sound Transit Art Program PM:
Engineer:
Location: 23461 30th Ave S. in Kent, WA

Wrapping up 2024, Force/Collide joins artist and in celebrating the completion of "Inheritance," a permanent large-scale public sculpture at the new Kent/Des Moines Light Rail station. De la Vega designed this work to be about people's connection to place and time. By engaging with the community, she collected and refined family tree drawings that F/C translated into 1,500 sq ft of suspended stainless steel latticework consisting of 9,000 precision-machined parts and upwards of 50,000 TIG welds.

It was a privilege to design the fabrication and installation plan, organize production and fabricate this monumental piece alongside my team of key fabricators Ignacio Lopez and May Paradise for the last three + years. Their talent, skill and problem solving was integral to the success of this project. We're proud to be part of an extraordinary team lead by Sound Transit Senior Project Manager , who expertly coordinated across all scopes.

This project was made possible by:
Artist: Michelle de la Vega
Sound Transit Art Program Project Manager: Ashley Long
Fabrication: Force/Collide
Artwork Engineering: Nick Geurts
Installation: and

If you'd like to visit the sculpture, the KDM Light Rail Station is located at 23461 30th Ave S. in Kent, WA. The site won't open until 2026, but it can be viewed from adjacent roads and sidewalks that are now open to the public.

Read more about the sculpture on the artist's website: https://www.michelledelavega.com/public-art

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Logistics for the structural portion of Michelle de la Vega's sculpture were a fun challenge. Getting these 14' wide moment frames safely around the region for finishing and installation was a huge step 💪

So much progress being made on Michelle de la Vega's new sculpture for Sound Transit. Our system for this production has been remarkably seamless. Precision machined parts make for perfect fit-up, which means optimal TIG welding. Grateful to have such a talented team of skilled fabricators/welders, Henrietta and Ignacio, working with me on this!