rafa esparza: Temple of Boom
Commissioned by Henry Art Gallery
Seattle’s Waterfront at Pier 62, Seattle, WA
Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
Production | Exhibition Grant
For his commission, Temple of Boom, rafa esparza will create an interactive sculptural work sited at Seattle’s Waterfront Pier 62. Adobe, obsidian, and water will comprise the installations key components. Referencing the shape of a conch shell, Temple of Boom will be a multi-sensory structural experience that functions like a sound chamber and will host a series of site-specific music and sound performances. Adobe speaker boxes will line the interior, surrounding a central pond flanked by integrated seating. A conduit to the water below will connect the temple pond directly to the ocean tide. Serving as a community gathering space, Temple of Boom will invite DJs, singers, songwriters, experimental sound makers, poets, and writers to collaborate within its uniquely sound-responsive structure, specifically prioritizing artists who identify as Indigenous, Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, and other artists of color.
The Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington advances contemporary art and ideas. The museum believes in the power of art to challenge norms, expand hearts, and build community. The Henry is the only museum dedicated to contemporary art in the Seattle, WA region and is internationally recognized for groundbreaking exhibitions, being on the cutting edge of contemporary art and culture, and for championing artists at every level of creation. The museum envisions a world where lives are enhanced by first-hand experiences with living artists and original works of art, and where dialogue about the complex ideas of our time is encouraged.
rafa esparza making adobe bricks with his father, Ramón Esparza
