"Companion Garden," a striking new public artwork by artist RYAN! Feddersen, was installed at the Auburn Sounder Station as part of a refresh project that blends cultural heritage, nature, and healing.
The piece, completed in early August 2024, is an innovative reflection of the surrounding environment and the people who pass through it every day.
The artwork is digitally printed on glass panels and creatively depicts the lifecycles of indigenous edible and medicinal plants. Featuring six plants — sčiʔyu (Strawberry), sc̓ədᶻx̌ (Nettles), c̓ək̓apaʔ (Wild Rose), taqa (Salal), sx̌ʷi (Oregon Grape), and st̕ixʷib (Huckleberry) — the design celebrates the intimate relationship between plants and human well-being.
The plant names are written in Southern Lushootseed, paying tribute to the Coast Salish language, while the artwork’s aesthetic draws upon Plateau Pictorial Beadwork traditions from the Interior Salish region.
A special Collaboration: Overcoming challenges in station refresh
Ryan’s artwork is part of a unique refresh project at the Auburn station, which originally opened in the early 2000s.
Lucile Chich, a Sound Transit Art (STart) program project manager, led the process, noting that the refresh was a special case for the agency.
“It was a one-off, with a finite budget. We worked with outdated station drawings and faced the challenge of working with our glass fabricator to replace the existing opaque blank glass panels, which were integral to the station’s aesthetic,” Chich explained.
The process included working closely with one of Sound Transit’s civil engineers, Ali Alyasiri , to ensure the existing structure could support the art glass panels. The final installation came in under budget, thanks to smooth collaboration between engineers, facilities, and operations teams.
For Chich and the STart team, this project was an experiment in how to approach a refresh of an existing facility.
“It was an exciting opportunity to test the logistics of how to integrate art into a station that didn’t have artwork before, and we worked closely with the engineering team to make sure everything went smoothly,” Chich explained. “It’s something we could see becoming more common in the future as we refresh older stations, breathing new life into public spaces with artwork.”
RYAN! Feddersen’s vision for the "Companion Garden"
For Feddersen, the project was more than just a visual artwork; it was an opportunity to weave together cultural narratives and emphasize the relationships between nature and healing.
With the station situated near numerous medical facilities, Feddersen found inspiration in the area’s relationship to health and wellness.
“On my site visits I noticed a lot of pedestrians in scrubs and commuters going to the many nearby medical centers. I had read about how seeing nature helps people heal and wanted to pair this with highlighting that how we eat is integral to our health, both historically and in the present,” Feddersen said.
Feddersen's design was inspired by traditional Plateau Pictorial Beadwork, an artistic craft with deep roots in the Interior Salish culture. As a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Feddersen hoped to bring more recognition to this artistic legacy.
By weaving this tradition into the design, Feddersen sought to honor a cultural practice that existed in the area long before Washington state became a state.
Bringing nature’s colors to life
The installation process for the artwork was intricate.
“The collaboration with the fabricator was key to getting the glass right. We wanted to achieve a delicate balance between opacity and transparency. At certain times of day, when the light shines through, the colors almost project onto the ground, creating a beautiful interplay of shadow and light,” Chich shared.
The panels themselves are made from sub-laminated digital film in glass, which allows the colors to shift depending on the amount of light passing through.
Each panel showcases a plant in various stages of growth, emphasizing the reciprocal relationship between humans and plants.
A call to action for public art
For RYAN! Feddersen, public art represents more than just aesthetics — it’s about activating the space and starting conversations.
“Public art has the power to shape how we understand the world and our place within it. In my work I strive to reflect both the land where the artwork is sited and the people who interact with it,” Feddersen said.
By bringing forward the traditions of the Interior Salish culture and highlighting the edible and medicinal plants of the region, the artwork brings attention to the land’s deep relationship with indigenous peoples and offers an opportunity to celebrate this connection.
As commuters pass through Auburn Sounder Station, "Companion Garden" invites them to pause, reflect, and connect with the rich cultural and natural heritage of our region.
With bold colors, intricate designs, and an inspiring message about reciprocity between humans and nature, the installation is destined to be a landmark piece — one that speaks not only to the community but also to the broader history and culture of the native people of the Pacific Northwest.
Stay tuned for more updates as Sound Transit continues to integrate art into its stations, turning ordinary transit spaces into extraordinary reflections of community and place.