Summer in the Pacific Northwest is time to lace up hiking boots and head for the nearest trail or park to enjoy the sun and experience the tranquility of the great outdoors. We are fortunate to live in a region surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty. Wild Tensions: How Design Impacts the Outdoor Experience explored the inherent tensions between our pursuit of the wilderness experiences that are so integral to our Pacific Northwest identity and the environmental impact of the built interventions that allow us access to wild spaces.
Exactly how authentic do we want our outdoor experience to be, and how far do we have to go to find it? How can we protect our natural treasures in the midst of explosive regional population growth? Can we mitigate that human pressure on these environments by leveraging urban wilderness?
These are just a few of the questions contemplated in this exhibit that explored our mediated relationship with our natural environment.