HistoryLink Tours

Sequence/Consequence was created by SuttonBeresCuller, a group of three Seattle-based artists—John Sutton (b. 1975), Ben Beres (b.1976), and Zac Culler (b. 1977). Working outside of the traditional gallery setting, this art collaborative aims to engage and provoke unsuspecting audiences with art that is often not what it seems.

Sequence/Consequence greets travelers’ departing and arriving on the South Lake Union streetcar. At first glance, the work might be mistaken for a recessed light in the sidewalk. It’s a mixed media work constructed of glass, acrylic, neon, cast iron, aluminum, concrete and it’s (at present) the only subterranean artwork in the City’s collection. Viewers will notice that the work appears to spiral downward into the ground. This was achieved by twisting the neon sculpture into a double-helix shape just below the surface. The artists designed the artwork so that mirrors would “skew the perceptions of depth and size, creating a seemingly endless field of light.”

The double helix shape is associated with DNA and used widely in the medical and biotech fields to symbolize genetics, healthcare, and science. This work sits at the entrance to the South Lake Union neighborhood, one that is home to the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the Allen Institute for Cell Science, the University of Washington School of Medicine’s six-building biomedical research campus, as well as numerous biotech firms, start-ups, and other medically focused organizations. Sequence/Consequence was commissioned with Seattle Department of Transportation 1% for Art funds.

From here, walk south up 5th Avenue and turn left on Pike Street. Proceed to the Convention Center Arch at 705 Pike Street.