One of West Seattle’s newest murals is adorning the restroom building at Walt Hundley Playfield (34th/Myrtle), installed earlier this summer. We hadn’t heard about it until a brief Seattle Parks online mention this week; we went over for a closer look, and also contacted artist Juliana Kang Robinson to find out more.

She tells us the installation, commissioned by the city, is called “Pojagi Mounds.”

Pojagi Mounds is a landscape of belonging and togetherness. The design is inspired by pojagi, the historic Korean patchwork artform using scrap fabric to create cloths that were integral to a person’s daily life. They were used as tablecloths, to deliver gifts, to carry possessions on a journey, and protect valuables. Wrapping a gift in a pojagi communicated respect for the object and good will toward the recipient. Each patch added by the maker was like a prayer of good will that would enfold and carry the gift. For me pojagi represents how diverse members of a community can come together to enfold and carry one another. Pojagi Mounds underscores how the whole is more than the sum of its parts. A mountain is more than simply soil, plants and rocks just as we people in a society are greater when unified. My goal for this public artwork is to create a visual representation of this concept that spur viewers to ponder the beautiful and complex way that different parts can come together to unify and elevate us beyond the self.

She continues:

I used a traditional Korean color scheme called Obangsaek. Obangsaek means “Five Orientations” in balance with the universe – East (blue), West (white), South (red), North (black) and Center (yellow) to promote harmony while warding off evil spirits. In my work I like to incorporate animals with strong family bonds both in reference to the various creation myths and for the conjuring of strength, courage and belonging. In this mural I also wanted to honor our local “ecosystem engineers,” the beavers known for changing and maintaining ecosystems which significantly boost local biodiversity. I also love both creatures as a symbols for familial strength and working hard for one’s family and community.

You can see more of her work on her website.