A series of memorable signs are mysteriously popping up on chain link fences throughout Seattle.
They look like official notices, but make statements like “NOTICE: I Never Stopped Loving You” and “ATTENTION: You Are Wonderful and Deserve Every Happiness.”
Initially, the artist behind these public installations wanted to remain anonymous. But after one of April Soetarman’s signs went viral online, she decided to talk about them.
"I work in architecture and a lot of it's just thinking about how stuff happens in space,” she said. "Sort of this idea that we see a lot of things every day, but what do you actually pay attention to?"
The signs are designed to blend with their backgrounds, so only people who pay close attention to their surroundings would notice them.
Soetarman posted a variety of phrases in at least five Seattle neighborhoods, from SODO to Fremont – though she won’t reveal the exact locations, since they’re meant to be discovered by chance.
She also transformed some crosswalks around the city, giving pedestrians philosophical choices like “PUSH to remember” and “PUSH to forget.”
"Usually signs tell you what to do, but these are just about a feeling,” she said. "If this hits something for you, what does that mean, what does that say?"
She started creating public art a couple of years ago, as part of a personal creative challenge to use 30 different mediums for 30 days, spending no more than 30 minutes on each one. It was appropriately named “30 Days of April.”
If you don’t run into one of her notices on the street, you can see many of them on her Weird Side Projects website. You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
"Paying attention to your city, paying attention to your space, paying attention to where you are,” she said. "Hopefully it resonates with you.” ►
Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WFMY News 2 App now
