Overview looking east
TATTARRATTAT
2020
2020
Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
Seattle Public Utilities
Seattle Public Utilities
Honoring the waterway connecting Lake Union and the Puget Sound, the phrase “TATTARRATTAT” is spelled out using the International Code of Signals for water vessels moving in either direction of the canal. The repetition of the palindrome serves as a visual interpretation of the constant “knock, knock” emanating from a construction site for months to come. Tattarrattat is the longest palindromic word in the Oxford English Dictionary, coined by James Joyce for his novel Ulysses.
NE Canal St and 2nd Ave NW
Seattle, WA
Seattle, WA
Detail of the letter A
Detail of the letter R
Detail of the letter T
Overview looking west