Seattle Design Festival

Inflatables, kaleidoscopes, and a giant ice cube - oh my! 

These were only a few of the dozens of installations that took over the usually empty streetscape of Occidental Park in Pioneer Square this weekend. For this year's event, each piece built for the Block Party address the theme of "design change." Some demonstrate a physical change -the melting of a 10-ton ice cube over the duration of the festival- while others are a more social change -which invites the people of Seattle to weigh in their opinions on the rapid development of the city over the past couple of years. One of the great things about being a designer in the pacific northwest is that community involvement is a driving force that really allows for people, the ones who live in a world that is designed, to have feedback on it all. Any locals should check out the schedule of activities, performances, and conferences that are going on for the next couple of weeks and drop on in!